title: Elasticity and biochemistry of growth relate replication rate to cell length and cross-link density in rod-shaped bacteria.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut Health Center, Department of Cell Biology and Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling, Farmington, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Akeisha M T
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Belgrave
authors.forename: Charles W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Wolgemuth
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D048708:Cell Growth Processes; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism; D004261:DNA Replication; D004548:Elasticity; D008954:Models, Biological