Relationship between the Rod complex and peptidoglycan structure in Escherichia coli.

Peptidoglycan for elongation in Escherichia coli is synthesized by the Rod complex, which includes RodZ. Although various mutant strains of the Rod complex have been isolated, the relationship between the activity of the Rod complex and the overall physical and chemical structures of the peptidoglycan have not been reported. We constructed a RodZ mutant, termed RMR, and analyzed the growth rate, morphology, and other characteristics of cells producing the Rod complexes containing RMR.

Direct Observation of Conversion From Walled Cells to Wall-Deficient L-Form and in Indicates the Essentiality of the Outer Membrane for Proliferation of L-Form Cells.

Gram-negative bacteria such as are surrounded by an outer membrane, which encloses a peptidoglycan layer. Even if thinner than in many Gram-positive bacteria, the peptidoglycan in allows cells to withstand turgor pressure in hypotonic medium. In hypertonic medium, treated with a cell wall synthesis inhibitor such as penicillin G form wall-deficient cells.

The periplasmic disordered domain of RodZ promotes its self-interaction in Escherichia coli.

Rod shape of bacterial cells such as Escherichia coli is mainly regulated by a supramolecular complex called elongasome including MreB actin. Deletion of the mreB gene in rod-shaped bacterium E. coli results in round-shaped cells.