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E. coli filament buckling modulates Min patterning and cell division
Marta Nadal1, Léna Guitou1, Iago Diez2
1Theoretical and Computational Systems Biology Program, Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), CSIC-UV, Paterna, Spain.
Nature Communications
|September 8, 2025
Summary
Bacteria experiencing stress elongate into filaments, which buckle under mechanical strain. This buckling affects cell division site selection, creating a mechanical memory for future division in Escherichia coli.
Area of Science:
- Microbial mechanobiology
- Bacterial cell division
- Reaction-diffusion systems
Background:
- Bacteria can elongate without dividing (filamentation) under stress, improving survival but increasing mechanical strain.
- Mechanical forces in bacterial filamentation and their impact on cell division are not fully understood.
- The Min system in Escherichia coli is crucial for regulating cell division site placement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how mechanical strain affects bacterial filament geometry.
- To determine the influence of mechanical strain on the Min oscillatory system in Escherichia coli.
- To elucidate the role of mechanochemical feedback in bacterial division site selection after stress.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative fluorescence microscopy
- Biophysical modeling
- Microfluidics
- Patterned growth substrates
Main Results:
- Escherichia coli filaments exhibit growth-induced buckling instability under mechanical strain.
- Buckling modulates the spatiotemporal dynamics of the Min system.
- Synergistic mechanochemical effects dictate division site location post-stress relief, indicating mechanical memory.
Conclusions:
- Mechanical forces and geometric effects are critical in bacterial filamentation.
- Mechanobiology plays a significant role in bacterial division site determination.
- This study reveals a novel mechanical memory mechanism influencing bacterial cytokinesis.
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