How to rewire the host cell: A home improvement guide for intracellular bacteria.

Intracellular bacterial pathogens have developed versatile strategies to generate niches inside the eukaryotic cells that allow them to survive and proliferate. Making a home inside the host offers many advantages; however, intracellular bacteria must also overcome many challenges, such as disarming innate immune signaling and accessing host nutrient supplies. Gaining entry into the cell and avoiding degradation is only the beginning of a successful intracellular lifestyle.

Dynamic Remodeling of the Magnetosome Membrane Is Triggered by the Initiation of Biomineralization.

Unlabelled: Magnetotactic bacteria produce chains of membrane-bound organelles that direct the biomineralization of magnetic nanoparticles. These magnetosome compartments are a model for studying the biogenesis and subcellular organization of bacterial organelles. Previous studies have suggested that discrete gene products build and assemble magnetosomes in a stepwise fashion.

Compartmentalization and organelle formation in bacteria.

A number of bacterial species rely on compartmentalization to gain specific functionalities that will provide them with a selective advantage. Here, we will highlight several of these modes of bacterial compartmentalization with an eye toward describing the mechanisms of their formation and their evolutionary origins. Spore formation in Bacillus subtilis, outer membrane biogenesis in Gram-negative bacteria and protein diffusion barriers of Caulobacter crescentus will be used to demonstrate the physical, chemical, and compositional remodeling events that lead to compartmentalization.