Distinct cytoskeletal proteins define zones of enhanced cell wall synthesis in Helicobacter pylori
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Helical cell shape is necessary for efficient stomach colonization by Helicobacter pylori , but the molecular mechanisms for generating helical shape remain unclear. We show that the helical centerline pitch and radius of wild-type H. pylori cells dictate surface curvatures of considerably higher positive and negative Gaussian curvatures than those present in straight- or curved-rod bacteria. Quantitative 3D microscopy analysis of short pulses with either N -acetylmuramic acid or D-alanine metabolic probes showed that cell wall growth is enhanced at both sidewall curvature extremes. Immunofluorescence revealed MreB is most abundant at negative Gaussian curvature, while the bactofilin CcmA is most abundant at positive Gaussian curvature. Strains expressing CcmA variants with altered polymerization properties lose helical shape and associated positive Gaussian curvatures. We thus propose a model where CcmA and MreB promote PG synthesis at positive and negative Gaussian curvatures, respectively, and that this patterning is one mechanism necessary for maintaining helical shape.
Source: eLife
DOI: 10.7554/elife.52482
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,500
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Life Sciences Research Foundation, Wellcome Trust, National Institutes of Health, National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Center for Research Resources
Awards: OMX BLAZE High Speed Super Resolution Imaging System, G1115214686, G1305388156, Chromosome Metabolism and Cancer Training Grant, G1647654089, The biophysical mechanism of pilus-based surface sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), G215729137, G2810409515, Molecular Medicine Training Program, Metabolic carbohydrate cell wall probes for bacterial structure and immune recognition studies, PFC: Center for the Physics of Biological Function, G3410075363, G3460346056, Dynamics of bacterial peptidoglycan synthesis, G4072290382, G4266498966, Bacterial Cell Wall Synthesis and Degradation., G5812093873, G584744146, Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) NIH T32 Training Grant, G7361143104, G779087033, G7932826167, Bacterial Cell Wall Synthesis and Degradation., GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM, G9000085113, Mechanisms and consequence of helical shape generation in Helicobacter pylori, Cancer Center Support Grant
OpenAlex ID: W2999357272