Fig. 6: Model of NT formation.
The figure depicts NT formation: stressed cells (e.g., pressure, ampicillin treatment) either adapt or when the stress is too severe, die. During cell death, the plasma membrane becomes compromised and membranous tubular structures are extruded from dying cells. Autolysins LytE and LytF that localize at the cell poles weaken the cell wall and facilitate NT extrusion. Eventually, the cell contents are emptied and a hollow husk—the ghost cell—remains. No physiological role for these NTs has been detected.
