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Bacterial Phylum Actinobacteria01:30

Bacterial Phylum Actinobacteria

Coryneform bacteria are gram-positive, aerobic, nonmotile rods that exhibit irregular, club-shaped, or V-shaped arrangements. Their V-shape results from snapping division, where the inner cell wall layer forms the cross-wall, while the outer layer remains intact until it ruptures on one side, causing the daughter cells to bend away.The primary genera are Corynebacterium and Arthrobacter. Corynebacterium includes diverse species, ranging from saprophytes to pathogens like Corynebacterium...
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Updated: May 20, 2026

Analysis of the Lipid Composition of Mycobacteria by Thin Layer Chromatography
07:42

Analysis of the Lipid Composition of Mycobacteria by Thin Layer Chromatography

Published on: April 16, 2021

Pleiomorphism in Mycobacterium.

Leif A Kirsebom, Santanu Dasgupta, Brännvall M Fredrik Pettersson

    Advances in Applied Microbiology
    |July 17, 2012
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Mycobacterium species exhibit diverse morphological changes, including biofilms and spores, due to environmental stresses. These shape variations are linked to cell division and signaling pathways, offering insights into bacterial morphogenesis.

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    Area of Science:

    • Microbiology
    • Bacterial Morphology
    • Cell Biology

    Background:

    • Mycobacterial cultures display morphological variants like fibrous aggregates, biofilms, coccoids, and spores under varying conditions.
    • These changes are particularly noted with culture aging and in response to environmental stresses.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To discuss the diversity in shape and size changes in bacterial cells, focusing on pleomorphism in Mycobacterium species.
    • To explore potential contributions of inherent asymmetry in cell division and internal compartmentalization to observed pleomorphism.
    • To speculate on regulatory genes involved in initiating morphogenesis through bioinformatic analysis.

    Main Methods:

    • Observation of morphological variants in mycobacterial cultures under different growth conditions.
    • Analysis of shape and size changes in Mycobacterium spp. in response to environmental stresses.
    • Bioinformatic identification of genes related to bacterial signaling pathways (sensors, kinases, phosphatases) in mycobacterial genomes.

    Main Results:

    • Mycobacterium species exhibit significant pleomorphism, adapting their morphology to environmental and nutritional stresses.
    • Observed variants include fibrous aggregates, biofilms, coccoids, and spores.
    • Asymmetric cell division and internal compartmentalization are suggested as contributing factors to pleomorphism.

    Conclusions:

    • Environmental stresses induce diverse morphological adaptations in Mycobacterium species.
    • Bacterial signaling pathways and inherent cellular processes likely regulate these morphogenetic changes.
    • Further bioinformatic investigation can identify key regulatory genes controlling mycobacterial morphogenesis.