Distinct regions of s bactofilin CcmA regulate protein-protein interactions to control helical cell shape.

The helical shape of cells promotes robust stomach colonization; however, how the helical shape of cells is determined is unresolved. Previous work identified helical-cell-shape-promoting protein complexes containing a peptidoglycan-hydrolase (Csd1), a peptidoglycan precursor synthesis enzyme (MurF), a non-enzymatic homolog of Csd1 (Csd2), non-enzymatic transmembrane proteins (Csd5 and Csd7), and a bactofilin (CcmA). Bactofilins are highly conserved, spontaneously polymerizing cytoskeletal bacterial proteins.

Bacterial Cell Biology: It Takes Two to Tango.

Work identifying how stalk morphogenesis in a species of Alphaproteobacteria is controlled unveils an interesting mechanism that other bacteria may utilize to generate the variety of bacterial cell morphologies found across the bacterial domain.

Distinct cytoskeletal proteins define zones of enhanced cell wall synthesis in .

Helical cell shape is necessary for efficient stomach colonization by , but the molecular mechanisms for generating helical shape remain unclear. The helical centerline pitch and radius of wild-type cells dictate surface curvatures of considerably higher positive and negative Gaussian curvatures than those present in straight- or curved-rod . Quantitative 3D microscopy analysis of short pulses with either -acetylmuramic acid or D-alanine metabolic probes showed that cell wall growth is enhanced at both sidewall curvature extremes.

Bent Bacteria: A Comparison of Cell Shape Mechanisms in .

Helical cell shape appears throughout the bacterial phylogenetic tree. Recent exciting work characterizing cell shape mutants in a number of curved and helical is beginning to suggest possible mechanisms and provide tools to assess functional significance. We focus here on , , , and , organisms from three classes of that live in diverse environments, from freshwater and saltwater to distinct compartments within the gastrointestinal tract of humans and birds.