Exploring Spiroplasma Biology: Opportunities and Challenges

Frontiers in Microbiology

Laure Béven¹  Pananghat Gayathri²  Shrikant Harne² 

[1] INRAE, UMR 1332, Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France;Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India;

关键词: Spiroplasma;    shape determination;    motility;    bacterial cytoskeleton;    fibril;    MreB;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmicb.2020.589279

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Spiroplasmas are cell-wall-deficient helical bacteria belonging to the class Mollicutes. Their ability to maintain a helical shape in the absence of cell wall and their motility in the absence of external appendages have attracted attention from the scientific community for a long time. In this review we compare and contrast motility, shape determination and cytokinesis mechanisms of Spiroplasma with those of other Mollicutes and cell-walled bacteria. The current models for rod-shape determination and cytokinesis in cell-walled bacteria propose a prominent role for the cell wall synthesis machinery. These models also involve the cooperation of the actin-like protein MreB and FtsZ, the bacterial homolog of tubulin. However the exact role of the cytoskeletal proteins is still under much debate. Spiroplasma possess MreBs, exhibit a rod-shape dependent helical morphology, and divide by an FtsZ-dependent mechanism. Hence, spiroplasmas represent model organisms for deciphering the roles of MreBs and FtsZ in fundamental mechanisms of non-spherical shape determination and cytokinesis in bacteria, in the absence of a cell wall. Identification of components implicated in these processes and deciphering their functions would require genetic experiments. Challenges in genetic manipulations in spiroplasmas are a major bottleneck in understanding their biology. We discuss advancements in genome sequencing, gene editing technologies, super-resolution microscopy and electron cryomicroscopy and tomography, which can be employed for addressing long-standing questions related to Spiroplasma biology.

【 授权许可】

Unknown