Exploration into the spatial and temporal mechanisms of bacterial polarity.
The recognition of bacterial asymmetry is not new: the first high-resolution microscopy studies revealed that bacteria come in a multitude of shapes and sometimes carry asymmetrically localized external structures such as flagella on the cell surface. Even so, the idea that bacteria could have an inherent overall polarity, which affects not only their outer appearance but also many of their vital processes, has only recently been appreciated. In this review, we focus on recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the establishment of polarized functions and cell polarity in bacteria.
Ebersbach
Gitte
G
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Jacobs-Wagner
Christine
C
D001419:Bacteria / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016764:Cell Polarity; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D015398:Signal Transduction
D001426:Bacterial Proteins