Abstract
The cell wall, a cross-linked 3D network of peptidoglycan, is the key structural element that dictates cell shape and counter-balances turgor forces in prokaryotes. During cell growth and division, the wall undergoes a coordinated series of addition and remodeling events that enable the cell shape to change in a stereotyped manner. Recent studies suggest that the spatial insertion pattern of new material into the peptidoglycan network, guided by the bacterial cytoskeleton, is critical for cell shape maintenance. In this work, we use a high-density of quantum dots (QDs) on the B. subtilis cell surface to track the local motions of the wall in three-dimensions during cell growth and division. From a 2D projection of the QD distribution onto the cylindrical cell surface, we obtain the local stretching and shearing rates on multiple spatial scales. The homogeneity of insertion and cell wall twist during elongation and division can then be quantified from these growth maps.
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