Elasticity and Biochemistry of Growth Relate Replication Rate to Cell Length and Cross-link Density in Rod-Shaped Bacteria

In rod-shaped bacteria, cell morphology is correlated with the replication rate. For a given species, cells that replicate faster are longer and have less cross-linked cell walls. Here, we propose a simple mechanochemical model that explains the dependence of cell length and cross-linking on the replication rate. Our model shows good agreement with existing experimental data and provides further evidence that cell wall synthesis is mediated by multienzyme complexes; however, our results suggest that these synthesis complexes only mediate glycan insertion and cross-link severing, whereas recross-linking is performed independently.     

Elasticity and Biochemistry of Growth Relate Replication Rate to Cell Length and Cross-link Density in Rod-Shaped Bacteria

In rod-shaped bacteria, cell morphology is correlated with the replication rate. For a given species, cells that replicate faster are longer and have less cross-linked cell walls. Here, we propose a simple mechanochemical model that explains the dependence of cell length and cross-linking on the replication rate. Our model shows good agreement with existing experimental data and provides further evidence that cell wall synthesis is mediated by multienzyme complexes; however, our results suggest that these synthesis complexes only mediate glycan insertion and cross-link severing, whereas recross-linking is performed independently.     

Influence of Volume of Nutrient Agar Medium on Development of Colonies of Marine Bacteria

Zusammenfassung Bei der Bestimmung der Anzahl Bakterien in frisch genommenen Seewasserproben mit dem Plattengußverfahren reduziert eine Agarmenge von über 10 ml die Anzahl sich entwickelnder Kolonien. Die erhaltenen Zahlen sind im allgemeinen am höchsten und die Ergebnisse am besten reproduzierbar, wenn genau 10 ml des Nähragars benutzt wird im Gegensatz zu unbestimmten Mengen zwischen 5 und 30 ml. Obgleich auch andere Faktoren eine Rolle spielen, wird der ungünstige Einfluß von Agarmengen, die merklich größer als 10 ml sind, in erster Linie den langsameren Abkühlungsraten während des üblichen Plattengußverfahrens zugeschrieben. Wenn Nähragar von 42° C bei Raumtemperatur (22–24° C) in Pyrex-Petrischalen gegossen wurde, kühlten 10 ml in ca. 1 min. auf 30° C ab, während 5 bis 24 min. gebraucht wurden, um Agarmengen von 20 bis 50 ml von 42° C auf 30° C abzukühlen. Viele marine Bakterien werden geschädigt, wenn sie Temperaturen ausgesetzt werden, die über 30° C liegen, wobei das Ausmaß der Schädigung von der Einwirkungszeit abhängt. Deswegen ist es überaus wichtig, daß der Agar vor dem Gießen auf 42° C gekühlt wird. Die Abkühlungsrate des Agarmediums in den Platten wird von der Beschaffenheit und der Temperatur der Tischoberfläche, auf der die Platten stchen, beeinflußt.

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Plating the heterogeneous bacteria occuring naturally in samples of raw sea water with volumes of molten nutrient agar exceeding 10 ml reduces the number of colonies which develop. Plate counts on replicate samples of sea water are generally highest and results are more nearly reproducible when 10 ml of nutrient agar is used rather than volumes ranging randomly from 5 to 30 ml. Although other factors are involved, the adverse effects of volumes of nutrient agar appreciable larger than 10 ml are attributed primarily to the slower cooling rates during conventional plating procedures. When nutrient agar medium at 42° C was poured into pyrex Petri dishes at room temperature (22–24° C), 10 ml of the medium cooled to 30° C in about one minute, whereas from about 5 to 24 minutes were required for 20 to 50 ml of the medium to cool from 42° C down to 30 ° C. Many marine bacteria are injured by being subjected to temperatures higher than 30° C, the extent of the injury being a function of time. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that agar be cooled to 42° C prior to pouring. The rate at which agar medium cools in plates is influenced by the composition and temperature of the table top on which the plates rest.

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Contribution from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, La Jolla, California.     

Automated Count and Size Evaluation of Colonies of Bacteria Grown in a Zonal Concentration Gradient of Antimicrobial Agent

The quantitative study (counting and size and surface evaluation of bacterial colonies) of the activity of an antimicrobial agent against a microbial population growing in solid medium can be performed by an electronic image analyzer. The Zeiss Micro-Videomat allowed the detection of even slight antimicrobial effects, which would be difficult to detect by colony counting alone and would escape the manual procedures of observation. The potential of the new method of investigation was illustrated by the examination of Staphylococcus aureus inhibition zones produced by disks of penicillin G and sulfadiazine.     

A 3D Motile Rod-Shaped Monotrichous Bacterial Model

We introduce a 3D model for a motile rod-shaped bacterial cell with a single polar flagellum which is based on the configuration of a monotrichous type of bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The structure of the model bacterial cell consists of a cylindrical body together with the flagellar forces produced by the rotation of a helical flagellum. The rod-shaped cell body is composed of a set of immersed boundary points and elastic links. The helical flagellum is assumed to be rigid and modeled as a set of discrete points along the helical flagellum and flagellar hook. A set of flagellar forces are applied along this helical curve as the flagellum rotates. An additional set of torque balance forces are applied on the cell body to induce counter-rotation of the body and provide torque balance. The three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations for incompressible fluid are used to describe the fluid dynamics of the coupled fluid–microorganism system using Peskin’s immersed boundary method. A study of numerical convergence is presented along with simulations of a single swimming cell, the hydrodynamic interaction of two cells, and the interaction of a small cluster of cells.