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Updated: May 9, 2026
07:31
Live Cell Imaging of Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pneumoniae using Automated Time-lapse Microscopy
Published on: July 28, 2011
From models to pathogens: how much have we learned about Streptococcus pneumoniae cell division?
Orietta Massidda1, Linda Nováková, Waldemar Vollmer
1Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Porcell, 4, 09100, Cagliari, Italy.
Environmental Microbiology
|July 16, 2013
Summary
New research reveals that Streptococcus pneumoniae, a common pathogen, grows and divides using a conserved mechanism similar to rod-shaped bacteria. This understanding of bacterial cell division could lead to novel antimicrobial drug development.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacterial Cell Biology
- Antimicrobial Drug Discovery
Background:
- Streptococcus pneumoniae is a significant human pathogen, causing serious infections and exhibiting multi-drug resistance.
- Bacterial cell division is a promising target for developing new antimicrobial interventions.
- Understanding the growth and division mechanisms of S. pneumoniae is crucial for therapeutic strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in understanding Streptococcus pneumoniae growth and division.
- To compare S. pneumoniae's cell division with well-studied model organisms like Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis.
- To elucidate the molecular machinery governing the ovococcal shape of S. pneumoniae.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of peptidoglycan synthesis pathways in S. pneumoniae and model bacteria.
- Review of conserved and divergent proteins involved in bacterial elongation and division.
- Integration of data to propose a model for S. pneumoniae growth and division.
Main Results:
- Streptococcus pneumoniae utilizes peripheral and septal peptidoglycan synthesis, involving elongasome and divisome complexes, similar to rod-shaped bacteria.
- Many cell division proteins are conserved between S. pneumoniae and model rods, suggesting a shared fundamental mechanism.
- S. pneumoniae exhibits unique differences from model rods, supporting a model of a single, large midcell machinery for growth and division.
- The ovococcal shape likely evolved from a rod-shaped ancestor through gene reduction.
Conclusions:
- Streptococcus pneumoniae's growth and division are governed by a conserved, albeit potentially unified, machinery.
- The ovococcal morphology of S. pneumoniae may have evolved from rod-shaped ancestors.
- Targeting bacterial cell division in S. pneumoniae offers a viable strategy for novel antimicrobial drug development.
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