<i>Myxococcus xanthus</i> as a Model Organism for Peptidoglycan Assembly and Bacterial Morphogenesis
A fundamental question in biology is how cell shapes are genetically encoded and enzymatically generated. Prevalent shapes among walled bacteria include spheres and rods. These shapes are chiefly determined by the peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall. Bacterial division results in two daughter cells, whose...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/5/916 |
| _version_ | 1797536489321529344 |
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| author | Huan Zhang Srutha Venkatesan Beiyan Nan |
| author_facet | Huan Zhang Srutha Venkatesan Beiyan Nan |
| author_sort | Huan Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A fundamental question in biology is how cell shapes are genetically encoded and enzymatically generated. Prevalent shapes among walled bacteria include spheres and rods. These shapes are chiefly determined by the peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall. Bacterial division results in two daughter cells, whose shapes are predetermined by the mother. This makes it difficult to explore the origin of cell shapes in healthy bacteria. In this review, we argue that the Gram-negative bacterium <i>Myxococcus xanthus</i> is an ideal model for understanding PG assembly and bacterial morphogenesis, because it forms rods and spheres at different life stages. Rod-shaped vegetative cells of <i>M. xanthus</i> can thoroughly degrade their PG and form spherical spores. As these spores germinate, cells rebuild their PG and reestablish rod shape without preexisting templates. Such a unique sphere-to-rod transition provides a rare opportunity to visualize de novo PG assembly and rod-like morphogenesis in a well-established model organism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:00:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ffaedd9913964cedb88a9a66a4bb4b07 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:00:26Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-ffaedd9913964cedb88a9a66a4bb4b072023-11-21T16:59:59ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072021-04-019591610.3390/microorganisms9050916<i>Myxococcus xanthus</i> as a Model Organism for Peptidoglycan Assembly and Bacterial MorphogenesisHuan Zhang0Srutha Venkatesan1Beiyan Nan2Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USADepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USADepartment of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USAA fundamental question in biology is how cell shapes are genetically encoded and enzymatically generated. Prevalent shapes among walled bacteria include spheres and rods. These shapes are chiefly determined by the peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall. Bacterial division results in two daughter cells, whose shapes are predetermined by the mother. This makes it difficult to explore the origin of cell shapes in healthy bacteria. In this review, we argue that the Gram-negative bacterium <i>Myxococcus xanthus</i> is an ideal model for understanding PG assembly and bacterial morphogenesis, because it forms rods and spheres at different life stages. Rod-shaped vegetative cells of <i>M. xanthus</i> can thoroughly degrade their PG and form spherical spores. As these spores germinate, cells rebuild their PG and reestablish rod shape without preexisting templates. Such a unique sphere-to-rod transition provides a rare opportunity to visualize de novo PG assembly and rod-like morphogenesis in a well-established model organism.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/5/916germinationbacterial cell wallsporulationgerminationmorphology |
| spellingShingle | Huan Zhang Srutha Venkatesan Beiyan Nan <i>Myxococcus xanthus</i> as a Model Organism for Peptidoglycan Assembly and Bacterial Morphogenesis Microorganisms germination bacterial cell wall sporulation germination morphology |
| title | <i>Myxococcus xanthus</i> as a Model Organism for Peptidoglycan Assembly and Bacterial Morphogenesis |
| title_full | <i>Myxococcus xanthus</i> as a Model Organism for Peptidoglycan Assembly and Bacterial Morphogenesis |
| title_fullStr | <i>Myxococcus xanthus</i> as a Model Organism for Peptidoglycan Assembly and Bacterial Morphogenesis |
| title_full_unstemmed | <i>Myxococcus xanthus</i> as a Model Organism for Peptidoglycan Assembly and Bacterial Morphogenesis |
| title_short | <i>Myxococcus xanthus</i> as a Model Organism for Peptidoglycan Assembly and Bacterial Morphogenesis |
| title_sort | i myxococcus xanthus i as a model organism for peptidoglycan assembly and bacterial morphogenesis |
| topic | germination bacterial cell wall sporulation germination morphology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/5/916 |
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