Walls and Membranes

Antimicrobial agents targeting bacterial cell walls and cell membranes.

Antimicrobial agents that target the bacterial cell wall or cell membrane have been used effectively for the past 70 years. Among the agents that inhibit bacterial cell wall synthesis, the beta-lactam antibiotics have emerged into broad-spectrum agents that inhibit most pathogenic bacteria, but are now being threatened by the rapid spread of drug-inactivating beta-lactamases. Glycopeptides stil...

Electron microscopic study of membranes and walls of bacteria and changes occurring during growth initiation.

Thin sections of stationary-phase Streptococcus lactis cells showed that the wall and membrane are 20 and 7 nm thick, respectively. Whole cells were examined by negative staining with ammonium molybdate and by shadowing. On air-drying of whole cells, the membrane pulled away from the wall revealing adhesions between these organelles. Adhesions could not be seen after subculture of the stationar...

Two-component fluid membranes near repulsive walls: Linearized hydrodynamics of equilibrium and nonequilibrium states.

We study the linearized hydrodynamics of a two-component fluid membrane near a repulsive wall, using a model that incorporates curvature-concentration coupling as well as hydrodynamic interactions. This model is a simplified version of a recently proposed one [J.-B. Manneville et al., Phys. Rev. E 64, 021908 (2001)] for nonequilibrium force centers embedded in fluid membranes, such as light-act...

Coated and smooth vesicles in the biogenesis of cell walls, plasma membranes, infection threads and peribacteroid membranes in root hairs and nodules of white clover.

Electrospun membranes: Next generation membranes for desalination and water/wastewater treatment