Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 22, 2025
07:44
Time-Lapse Epifluorescence Microscopy Imaging of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus Heterogeneous Phenotypes
Published on: February 14, 2025
1.0K
Antibiotic Resistance via Bacterial Cell Shape-Shifting
Nikola Ojkic1,2, Diana Serbanescu1, Shiladitya Banerjee3
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College Londongrid.83440.3b, London, United Kingdom.
Mbio
|May 26, 2022
Summary
Bacteria can alter their cell shape to resist antibiotics. By changing their surface-to-volume ratio, bacteria reduce antibiotic entry or dilute membrane-targeting drugs, enhancing survival.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biophysics
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Antibiotic resistance is a major global health threat.
- Existing resistance mechanisms focus on intracellular antibiotic levels or target binding.
- The role of bacterial cell morphology in antibiotic resistance is largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of bacterial cell morphology on antibiotic resistance.
- To determine how changes in cell shape affect antibiotic efficacy.
- To model the relationship between cell shape, growth, and antibiotic resistance.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of bacterial cell morphological data under antibiotic stress.
- Quantitative modeling of antibiotic influx and dilution based on cell shape.
- Development of a whole-cell model for antibiotic-induced shape and growth regulation.
Main Results:
- Bacteria modulate their surface-to-volume ratio in response to different antibiotics.
- Reduced surface-to-volume ratio decreases intracellular antibiotic concentration by limiting influx.
- Increased surface-to-volume ratio aids resistance against membrane-targeting antibiotics through dilution.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial cell morphology is a significant, previously underestimated factor in antibiotic resistance.
- Adaptive shape changes represent a novel strategy for bacteria to survive antibiotic exposure.
- Shape-induced resistance mechanisms may work synergistically with other known resistance pathways.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Development of Antibiotic Resistance
264
Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern that arises when bacteria evolve mechanisms to withstand the effects of antibiotic treatments. This resistance can be intrinsic, acquired through genetic mutations, or transferred between bacteria via horizontal gene transfer. The development of antibiotic resistance poses significant challenges in treating bacterial infections and necessitates ongoing research to develop new therapeutic strategies.Intrinsic resistance occurs when bacterial...
264
00:57Antibiotic Selection
55.4K
Overview
55.4K
01:29Microbial Morphologies
922
Bacterial and archaeal cells exhibit remarkable diversity in shape and structure, critical in their adaptability and functionality. Among bacteria, the most commonly observed shapes include cocci and bacilli. Cocci are spherical and may exist singly or in groupings such as pairs (diplococci), chains (streptococci), clusters (staphylococci), or tetrads. Bacilli, in contrast, are rod-shaped and can also occur as single cells, in pairs, or chains, depending on their environmental and genetic...
922
01:31Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens
1.6K
The human immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend the body against bacterial infections. It consists of various immune cells, each playing a specific role in the defense mechanism.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...
1.6K
01:28Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
100
Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...
100
00:46Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes
44.8K
The genome of most prokaryotic organisms consists of double-stranded DNA organized into one circular chromosome in a region of cytoplasm called the nucleoid. The chromosome is tightly wound, or supercoiled, for efficient storage. Prokaryotes also contain other circular pieces of DNA called plasmids. These plasmids are smaller than the chromosome and often carry genes that confer adaptive functions, such as antibiotic resistance.
Genomic Diversity in Bacteria
Although bacterial genomes are much...
Genomic Diversity in Bacteria
Although bacterial genomes are much...
44.8K