Department of Mechanical Engineering, Whitaker Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2011 Dec;75(4):543-65. doi: 10.1128/MMBR.00006-11.
Bacterial cells utilize three-dimensional (3D) protein assemblies to perform important cellular functions such as growth, division, chemoreception, and motility. These assemblies are composed of mechanoproteins that can mechanically deform and exert force. Sometimes, small-nucleotide hydrolysis is coupled to mechanical deformations. In this review, we describe the general principle for an understanding of the coupling of mechanics with chemistry in mechanochemical systems. We apply this principle to understand bacterial cell shape and morphogenesis and how mechanical forces can influence peptidoglycan cell wall growth. We review a model that can potentially reconcile the growth dynamics of the cell wall with the role of cytoskeletal proteins such as MreB and crescentin. We also review the application of mechanochemical principles to understand the assembly and constriction of the FtsZ ring. A number of potential mechanisms are proposed, and important questions are discussed.
细菌细胞利用三维（3D）蛋白质组装来执行重要的细胞功能，如生长、分裂、化学感受和运动。这些组装由机械蛋白组成，能够进行机械变形并施加力。有时，小分子核苷酸水解与机械变形偶联。在这篇综述中，我们描述了理解机械化学系统中力学与化学偶联的一般原理。我们将这一原理应用于理解细菌细胞形状和形态发生，以及机械力如何影响肽聚糖细胞壁生长。我们回顾了一个模型，该模型可能使细胞壁的生长动力学与细胞骨架蛋白（如 MreB 和新月蛋白）的作用相协调。我们还回顾了机械化学原理在理解 FtsZ 环的组装和收缩中的应用。提出了一些潜在的机制，并讨论了重要的问题。
