Abstract
The ultrastructure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cells undergoing division was examined by electron microscopy. Two features of cell division were observed and are described here. First, cells are capable of undergoing a type of "snapping" postfission movement. This movement is likely due to a multi-layered cell wall in which the inner layer participates in septum formation while the outer layer ruptures first on one side. A second feature related to cell division is the ability of dividing cells to form transient branching structures.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 15-20 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | FEMS Microbiology Letters |
| Volume | 240 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 1 2004 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:I would like to thank Christine Davitt of Washington State University and Elisabeth Fischer of Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID, NIH for their technical assistance on the electron microscopy studies. I am also appreciative of Anthony Garza and Harold Johnson for helpful comments. This research was made possible by a Research Grant from the American Lung Association and by a New Investigator Matching Grant from the National Foundation of Infectious Disease.
Keywords
- Cell branching
- Electron microscopy
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Snapping cell division
