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Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization

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Published on: October 29, 2019

Bacterial shape: two-dimensional questions and possibilities.

Kevin D Young¹

¹Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205-7199, USA. kdyoung@uams.edu

Annual Review of Microbiology

|September 10, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Bacteria maintain cell shape through cytoskeleton complexes. While cell length is regulated by division timing and FtsZ protein activity, cell diameter regulation remains complex and influenced by division and cell wall malleability.

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Cell Biology
Biophysics

Background:

Bacterial cell shape is crucial for survival and function.
Cytoskeleton complexes are known to drive bacterial cell elongation and division.
Existing models explain cell length regulation via FtsZ protein activity but not diameter.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the mechanisms bacteria use to establish and maintain specific cell diameter.
To explore the role of cell division and cell wall properties in determining bacterial morphology.

Main Methods:

Review of recent findings on bacterial cytoskeleton and cell division.
Analysis of mutations affecting cell elongation and their impact on cell width.
Examination of evidence linking cell division events to diameter control.
Consideration of new observations on bacterial cell wall malleability.

Main Results:

Cell length is primarily regulated by the timing of cell division, involving FtsZ protein.
Mechanisms controlling bacterial cell diameter are less understood and more complex.
Mutations in elongation complexes can affect cell width, but the link is unclear.
Cell division processes appear to significantly influence cell diameter.
The bacterial cell wall exhibits unexpected malleability, allowing internal shape restoration.

Conclusions:

Bacterial shape determination involves coordinated cytoskeleton activity for elongation and division.
Cell diameter regulation is a more challenging question, potentially influenced by division and cell wall dynamics.
Internal cellular mechanisms play a significant role in maintaining and restoring bacterial cell shape.