Life without a wall or division machine in Bacillus subtilis Export

@article{citeulike:4040878, abstract = {The cell wall is an essential structure for virtually all bacteria, forming a tough outer shell that protects the cell from damage and osmotic lysis. It is the target of our best antibiotics. L-form strains are wall-deficient derivatives of common bacteria that have been studied for decades. However, they are difficult to generate and typically require growth for many generations on osmotically protective media with antibiotics or enzymes that kill walled forms. Despite their potential importance for understanding antibiotic resistance and pathogenesis, little is known about their basic cell biology or their means of propagation. We have developed a controllable system for generating L-forms in the highly tractable model bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Here, using genome sequencing, we identify a single point mutation that predisposes cells to grow without a wall. We show that propagation of L-forms does not require the normal FtsZ-dependent division machine but occurs by a remarkable extrusion-resolution mechanism. This novel form of propagation provides insights into how early forms of cellular life may have proliferated.}, author = {Leaver, M. and Dominguez-Cuevas, P. and Coxhead, J. M. and Daniel, R. A. and Errington, J.}, citeulike-article-id = {4040878}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature07742}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature07742}, citeulike-linkout-2 = {http://view.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19212404}, citeulike-linkout-3 = {http://www.hubmed.org/display.cgi?uids=19212404}, day = {12}, doi = {10.1038/nature07742}, issn = {0028-0836}, journal = {Nature}, keywords = {bacillus, cell, peptidoglycan, subtilis, wall}, month = {February}, number = {7231}, pages = {849--853}, posted-at = {2009-08-21 17:12:06}, priority = {2}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {Life without a wall or division machine in Bacillus subtilis}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature07742}, volume = {457}, year = {2009} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:4040878 L3 - citeulike-article-id:4040878 N2 - The cell wall is an essential structure for virtually all bacteria, forming a tough outer shell that protects the cell from damage and osmotic lysis. It is the target of our best antibiotics. L-form strains are wall-deficient derivatives of common bacteria that have been studied for decades. However, they are difficult to generate and typically require growth for many generations on osmotically protective media with antibiotics or enzymes that kill walled forms. Despite their potential importance for understanding antibiotic resistance and pathogenesis, little is known about their basic cell biology or their means of propagation. We have developed a controllable system for generating L-forms in the highly tractable model bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Here, using genome sequencing, we identify a single point mutation that predisposes cells to grow without a wall. We show that propagation of L-forms does not require the normal FtsZ-dependent division machine but occurs by a remarkable extrusion-resolution mechanism. This novel form of propagation provides insights into how early forms of cellular life may have proliferated. IS - 7231 JF - Nature SN - 0028-0836 EP - 853 TI - Life without a wall or division machine in Bacillus subtilis PB - Nature Publishing Group VL - 457 SP - 849 KW - bacillus KW - cell KW - peptidoglycan KW - subtilis KW - wall AU - Leaver, M AU - Dominguez-Cuevas, P AU - Coxhead, JM AU - Daniel, RA AU - Errington, J PY - 2009/02/12/ UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature07742 ER -