A
new study from EPFL scientists has found that bacteria use mechanical forces to
divide, along with biological factors. The research, led by the groups of John
McKinney and Georg Fantner at EPFL, came after recent studies suggested that
bacterial division is not only governed by biology, but also by physics.
However, this interplay is poorly understood.
The
scientists studied bacteria that are very similar to the human pathogen that
causes tuberculosis, which kills more people than any other infectious disease.
To study the growth and division dynamics of these "mycobacteria" the
scientists built a special instrument that combines optical and atomic force
microscopy (AFM) to image and manipulate cells at the size scale of molecules.
The
data showed that mycobacterial cell division requires mechanical forces in
addition to previously identified division molecules (enzymes). Before a cell
divides, there is a progressive build-up of mechanical stress in the cell wall,
right at the point where the cell will divide.
But
where is the biological part of the story? When a bacterial cell divides the
two daughters must separate, a process mediated by enzymes that dissolve the
molecular connections between them. The investigators found that this essential
process could be bypassed by pressing on the nascent division site using the
AFM needle.
See:
Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle, Pharmaceutical Microbiology
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