Unidirectional growth and branch formation of a morphological mutant, Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Morphological characteristics of thermoconditional mutant Agrobacterium tumefaciens F-502 were investigated in relation to growth, division, and synthesis of cellular components. As a result of a shift from 27 to 37 C, mutant cells altered their morphology from short rods to elongated and branched forms; in addition, division and deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis were inhibited at 37 C. At 37 C unidirectional cell growth and branch formation occurred at one end of a cell, and the elongation rate of a cell was proportional to cell length. A hypothetical model for branch formation is presented in which the maximal elongation rate, 1.8 mum/h, at one end of a cell is an essential factor for initiation of branch formation.