Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Curr Opin Microbiol. 2013 Dec;16(6):731-7. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2013.09.004. Epub 2013 Oct 1.
A bacterial cell takes on the challenge to preserve and reproduce its shape at every generation against a substantial internal pressure by surrounding itself with a mechanical support, a peptidoglycan cell wall. The enlargement of the cell wall via net incorporation of precursors into the pre-existing wall conditions bacterial growth and morphology. However, generation, reproduction and/or modification of a specific shape requires that the incorporation takes place at precise locations for a defined time period. Much has been learnt in the past few years about the biochemistry of the peptidoglycan synthesis process, but topological approaches to the understanding of shape generation have been hindered by a lack of appropriate techniques. Recent technological advances are paving the way for substantial progress in understanding the mechanisms of bacterial morphogenesis. Here we review the latest developments, focusing on the impact of new techniques on the precise mapping of cell wall growth sites.
细菌细胞在每一代都面临着挑战，需要在巨大的内部压力下保持和复制其形状，为此，它用一层机械支撑物——肽聚糖细胞壁将自身包围起来。通过将前体净纳入预先存在的细胞壁中，细胞壁的扩大使细菌得以生长和维持其形态。然而，细胞壁的生成、复制和/或修饰需要特定的位置在特定的时间段内进行。在过去的几年中，人们对肽聚糖合成过程的生物化学有了很多了解，但由于缺乏适当的技术，拓扑学方法在理解形状生成方面一直受到阻碍。最近的技术进步为理解细菌形态发生机制的重大进展铺平了道路。在这里，我们回顾了最新的发展，重点介绍了新技术对细胞壁生长部位的精确映射的影响。
