Fig. 2
From: Airborne Escherichia coli bacteria biosynthesize lipids in response to aerosolization stress
TEM images taken at 5700x magnitude showing lipid droplets repairing the membrane of samples after 5 min aerosolization. The movement of lipid particles is partly driven by buoyancy and partly by the pressure difference between the airflow and the cytoplasm due to the compromised membrane22. The lipid particles move to the damaged membrane to patch it in a way that could be similar to blood clotting where lipids also play an essential role in both the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of prothrombin activation23. Red boxes show amplified images of two lipid droplets on the right near the top, crossing through the membrane, and at the bottom with magnitudes of 34000x and 27000x, respectively, repairing the OM of the cell; red arrows show other lipid droplets moving to the site of damage in the OM to patch the affected area.
