Fig. 10: Model of the establishment of cell curvature in R. rubrum. | Nature Communications

Fig. 10: Model of the establishment of cell curvature in R. rubrum.

From: An outer membrane porin-lipoprotein complex modulates elongasome movement to establish cell curvature in Rhodospirillum rubrum

Fig. 10

a Proposed mechanism underlying the PapS-dependent asymmetry of peptidoglycan biosynthesis in R. rubrum cells. The two porins Por41 and Por39 are arranged in an asymmetric, helical pattern and recruit PapS through interactions with its N-terminal porin-binding interface. The resulting porin-PapS assemblies entrap elongasome complexes and thus promote elevated longitudinal growth of the peptidoglycan sacculus in the cell envelope regions they occupy, thereby inducing cell bending. b Scheme illustrating the roadblock model of PapS function. The helical porin-PapS assemblies are tightly associated with the outer membrane and the peptidoglycan layer. Their high density creates a physical barrier that cages elongasome complexes by hindering their motion and thus decreasing their processivity, promoting frequent changes in their direction of movement. Sporadically, elongasome complexes escape this barrier, allowing cell elongation to occur in other cellular regions, albeit at a reduced rate.

Back to article page