Stress-induced formation of cell wall-deficient cells in filamentous actinomycetes

Karina Ramijan, Eveline Ultee, Joost Willemse, Zheren Zhang, Joeri A. J. Wondergem, Anne van der Meij, Doris Heinrich, Ariane Briegel, Gilles P. van Wezel and Dennis Claessen ()
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Karina Ramijan: Leiden University
Eveline Ultee: Leiden University
Joost Willemse: Leiden University
Zheren Zhang: Leiden University
Joeri A. J. Wondergem: Leiden University
Anne van der Meij: Leiden University
Doris Heinrich: Leiden University
Ariane Briegel: Leiden University
Gilles P. van Wezel: Leiden University
Dennis Claessen: Leiden University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract The cell wall is a shape-defining structure that envelopes almost all bacteria and protects them from environmental stresses. Bacteria can be forced to grow without a cell wall under certain conditions that interfere with cell wall synthesis, but the relevance of these wall-less cells (known as L-forms) is unclear. Here, we show that several species of filamentous actinomycetes have a natural ability to generate wall-deficient cells in response to hyperosmotic stress, which we call S-cells. This wall-deficient state is transient, as S-cells are able to switch to the normal mycelial mode of growth. However, prolonged exposure of S-cells to hyperosmotic stress yields variants that are able to proliferate indefinitely without their cell wall, similarly to L-forms. We propose that formation of wall-deficient cells in actinomycetes may serve as an adaptation to osmotic stress.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07560-9

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