Title | Curvature and shape determination of growing bacteria. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2009 |
Authors | Mukhopadhyay, R, Wingreen, NS |
Journal | Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys |
Volume | 80 |
Issue | 6 Pt 1 |
Pagination | 062901 |
Date Published | 2009 Dec |
Keywords | Caulobacter crescentus, Cell Enlargement, Cell Size, Computer Simulation, Models, Anatomic, Models, Biological |
Abstract | Bacterial cells come in a variety of shapes, determined by the stress-bearing cell wall. Though many molecular details about the cell wall are known, our understanding of how a particular shape is produced during cell growth is at its infancy. Experiments on curved Escherichia coli grown in microtraps, and on naturally curved Caulobacter crescentus, reveal different modes of growth: one preserving arc length and the other preserving radius of curvature. We present a simple model for curved cell growth that relates these two growth modes to distinct but related growth rules--"hooplike growth" and "self-similar growth"--and discuss the implications for microscopic growth mechanisms. |
Alternate Journal | Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys |