Journal
BMC BIOLOGY
Volume 12, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
BIOMED CENTRAL LTD
DOI: 10.1186/s12915-014-0054-8
Keywords
Morphogenesis; Cytoskeleton; Cell wall
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R01 GM056836]
- NIH Director's New Innovator Award [DP2OD006466]
- National Science Foundation [PHYS-1066293]
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The rod is a ubiquitous shape adopted by walled cells from diverse organisms ranging from bacteria to fungi to plants. Although rod-like shapes are found in cells of vastly different sizes and are constructed by diverse mechanisms, the geometric similarities among these shapes across kingdoms suggest that there are common evolutionary advantages, which may result from simple physical principles in combination with chemical and physiological constraints. Here, we review mechanisms of constructing rod-shaped cells and the bases of different biophysical models of morphogenesis, comparing and contrasting model organisms in different kingdoms. We then speculate on possible advantages of the rod shape, and suggest strategies for elucidating the relative importance of each of these advantages.
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