AUTHOR=Li Kang , Yuan Xiao-Xue , Sun He-Min , Zhao Long-Sheng , Tang Ruocong , Chen Zhi-Hua , Qin Qi-Long , Chen Xiu-Lan , Zhang Yu-Zhong , Su Hai-Nan TITLE=Atomic Force Microscopy of Side Wall and Septa Peptidoglycan From Bacillus subtilis Reveals an Architectural Remodeling During Growth JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=9 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00620 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2018.00620 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=

Peptidoglycan is the fundamental structural constituent of the bacterial cell wall. Despite many years of research, the architecture of peptidoglycan is still largely elusive. Here, we report the high-resolution architecture of peptidoglycan from the model Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We provide high-resolution evidence of peptidoglycan architecture remodeling at different growth stages. Side wall peptidoglycan from B. subtilis strain AS1.398 changed from an irregular architecture in exponential growth phase to an ordered cable-like architecture in stationary phase. Thickness of side wall peptidoglycan was found to be related with growth stages, with a slight increase after transition to stationary phase. Septal disks were synthesized progressively toward the center, while the surface features were less clear than those imaged with side walls. Compared with previous studies, our results revealed slight differences in architecture of peptidoglycan from different B. subtilis strains, expanding our knowledge about the architectural features of B. subtilis peptidoglycan.