Journal
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
Volume 8, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01264
Keywords
bacterial morphology; peptidoglycan; cytoskeleton; antimicrobials; cell shape inhibitors
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Funding
- Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS)
- Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW)
- Swedish Research Council
- Kempe Foundation and Umca University
- EMBO Long-Term Fellowship [ALTF 1396-2015]
- European Commission via the Marie Curie Actions [LTFCOFUND2013, GA-2013-609409]
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Bacterial morphology is extremely diverse. Specific shapes are the consequence of adaptive pressures optimizing bacterial fitness. Shape affects critical biological functions, including nutrient acquisition, motility, dispersion, stress resistance and interactions with other organisms. Although the characteristic shape of a bacterial species remains unchanged for vast numbers of generations, periodical variations occur throughout the cell (division) and life cycles, and these variations can be influenced by environmental conditions. Bacterial morphology is ultimately dictated by the net-like peptidoglycan (PG) sacculus. The species-specific shape of the PG sacculus at any time in the cell cycle is the product of multiple determinants. Some morphological determinants act as a cytoskeleton to guide biosynthetic complexes spatiotemporally, whereas others modify the PG sacculus after biosynthesis. Accumulating evidence supports critical roles of morphogenetic processes in bacteria-host interactions, including pathogenesis. Here, we review the molecular determinants underlying morphology, discuss the evidence linking bacterial morphology to niche adaptation and pathogenesis, and examine the potential of morphological determinants as antimicrobial targets.
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