Molecular Basis and Ecological Relevance of Cell Filamentation in Freshwater Habitats.

All living cells are characterized by certain cell shapes and sizes. Many bacteria can change these properties depending on the growth conditions. The underlying mechanisms and the ecological relevance of changing cell shape and size remain unclear in most cases.

Nutritional Control of DNA Replication Initiation through the Proteolysis and Regulated Translation of DnaA.

Bacteria can arrest their own growth and proliferation upon nutrient depletion and under various stressful conditions to ensure their survival. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for suppressing growth and arresting the cell cycle under such conditions remain incompletely understood. Here, we identify post-transcriptional mechanisms that help enforce a cell-cycle arrest in Caulobacter crescentus following nutrient limitation and during entry into stationary phase by limiting the accumulation of DnaA, the conserved replication initiator protein.

Modulation of bacterial proliferation as a survival strategy.

The cell cycle is one of the most fundamental processes in biology, underlying the proliferation and growth of all living organisms. In bacteria, the cell cycle has been extensively studied since the 1950s. Most of this research has focused on cell cycle regulation in a few model bacteria, cultured under standard growth conditions.

Identification and characterization of a bacitracin resistance network in Enterococcus faecalis.

Resistance of Enterococcus faecalis against antimicrobial peptides, both of host origin and produced by other bacteria of the gut microflora, is likely to be an important factor in the bacterium's success as an intestinal commensal. The aim of this study was to identify proteins with a role in resistance against the model antimicrobial peptide bacitracin. Proteome analysis of bacitracin-treated and untreated cells showed that bacitracin stress induced the expression of cell wall-biosynthetic proteins and caused metabolic rearrangements.