How bacterial cell division might cheat turgor pressure - a unified mechanism of septal division in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
An important question for bacterial cell division is how the invaginating septum can overcome the turgor force generated by the high osmolarity of the cytoplasm. I suggest that it may not need to. Several studies in Gram-negative bacteria have shown that the periplasm is isoosmolar with the cytoplasm. Indirect evidence suggests that this is also true for Gram-positive bacteria. In this case the invagination of the septum takes place within the uniformly high osmotic pressure environment, and does not have to fight turgor pressure. A related question is how the V-shaped constriction of Gram-negative bacteria relates to the plate-like septum of Gram-positive bacteria. I collected evidence that Gram-negative bacteria have a latent capability of forming plate-like septa, and present a model in which septal division is the basic mechanism in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
Duke Scholars
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- Gram-Positive Bacteria
- Gram-Negative Bacteria
- Developmental Biology
- Bacterial Proteins
- Bacteria
- 31 Biological sciences
- 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
- 11 Medical and Health Sciences
- 06 Biological Sciences
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Gram-Positive Bacteria
- Gram-Negative Bacteria
- Developmental Biology
- Bacterial Proteins
- Bacteria
- 31 Biological sciences
- 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
- 11 Medical and Health Sciences
- 06 Biological Sciences