Nature Communications (Mar 2018)

Asymmetric adhesion of rod-shaped bacteria controls microcolony morphogenesis

  • Marie-Cécilia Duvernoy,
  • Thierry Mora,
  • Maxime Ardré,
  • Vincent Croquette,
  • David Bensimon,
  • Catherine Quilliet,
  • Jean-Marc Ghigo,
  • Martial Balland,
  • Christophe Beloin,
  • Sigolène Lecuyer,
  • Nicolas Desprat

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03446-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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It is unclear how cell adhesion and elongation coordinate during formation of bacterial microcolonies. Here, Duvernoy et al. monitor microcolony formation in rod-shaped bacteria, and show that patterns of surface colonization derive from the spatial distribution of adhesive factors on the cell envelope.