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2016 ; 10
(3
): 031501
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Morphological plasticity of bacteria-Open questions
#MMPMID27375812
Shen JP
; Chou CF
Biomicrofluidics
2016[May]; 10
(3
): 031501
PMID27375812
show ga
Morphological plasticity of bacteria is a cryptic phenomenon, by which bacteria
acquire adaptive benefits for coping with changing environments. Some
environmental cues were identified to induce morphological plasticity, but the
underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Physical and chemical
factors causing morphological changes in bacteria have been investigated and
mostly associated with potential pathways linked to the cell wall synthetic
machinery. These include starvation, oxidative stresses, predation effectors,
antimicrobial agents, temperature stresses, osmotic shock, and mechanical
constraints. In an extreme scenario of morphological plasticity, bacteria can be
induced to be shapeshifters when the cell walls are defective or deficient. They
follow distinct developmental pathways and transform into assorted morphological
variants, and most of them would eventually revert to typical cell morphology. It
is suggested that phenotypic heterogeneity might play a functional role in the
development of morphological diversity and/or plasticity within an isogenic
population. Accordingly, phenotypic heterogeneity and inherited morphological
plasticity are found to be survival strategies adopted by bacteria in response to
environmental stresses. Here, microfluidic and nanofabrication technology is
considered to provide versatile solutions to induce morphological plasticity,
sort and isolate morphological variants, and perform single-cell analysis
including transcriptional and epigenetic profiling. Questions such as how
morphogenesis network is modulated or rewired (if epigenetic controls of cell
morphogenesis apply) to induce bacterial morphological plasticity could be
resolved with the aid of micro-nanofluidic platforms and optimization algorithms,
such as feedback system control.