FtsZ-Dependent Elongation of a Coccoid Bacterium

FtsZ-Dependent Elongation of a Coccoid Bacterium

UNLABELLED A mechanistic understanding of the determination and maintenance of the simplest bacterial cell shape, a sphere, remains elusive compared with that of more complex shapes. Cocci seem to lack a dedicated elongation machinery, and a spherical shape has been considered an evolutionary dead-end morphology, as a transition from a spherical to a rod-like shape has never been observed in ba...

Coccoid forms of Helicobacter pylori.

To the Editor-Eaton et al. [1] recently described experiments with coccoid Helicobacter pylori in gnotobiotic piglets. This interesting study examined the colonization and the reversion from coccoid to bacillary H pylori within 2 weeks of inoculation. Piglets colonized with bacillary H pylori had more severe gastritis 2 weeks after inoculation than did those sacrificed 1 week after inoculation....

Mechanical consequences of cell-wall turnover in the elongation of a Gram-positive bacterium.

A common feature of walled organisms is their exposure to osmotic forces that challenge the mechanical integrity of cells while driving elongation. Most bacteria rely on their cell wall to bear osmotic stress and determine cell shape. Wall thickness can vary greatly among species, with Gram-positive bacteria having a thicker wall than Gram-negative bacteria. How wall dimensions and mechanical p...

Construction and Characterization of a Lux-Marked Phenanthrene Degrading Bacterium

Temperature-dependent membrane fatty acid and cell physiology changes in coccoid forms of Campylobacter jejuni.

The effect of temperature and the availability of nutrients on the transition of spiral Campylobacter jejuni cells to coccoid forms was investigated. Ageing of spiral C. jejuni cells in either nutrient-poor or nutrient-rich environments resulted in the formation of nonculturable coccoid cells at 4, 12, and 25 degrees C after different periods, with the cells incubated at 4 degrees C in nutrient...