Mechanical stress compromises multicomponent efflux complexes in bacteria
Abstract
The field of mechanobiology examines how physical forces modulate cell physiology and has traditionally focused on eukaryotic organisms. Here we show that in bacteria, mechanical stresses can interrupt the structure and function of a molecular assembly used by Gram-negative bacteria to survive and grow in the presence of toxins. This work provides evidence that bacteria, like mammalian cells, can respond to mechanical forces through molecular complexes at the cell surface in ways that are relevant to growth. Our observations further suggest that mechanical forces may be used synergistically with other antimicrobials.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 26, 2019
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1909562116
Entities
People
- Abhishek Srivastava
- Ace George Santiago
- Bing Fu
- Christine E. Harper
- Christopher Hernandez
- Chung-yuen Hui
- Lauren A Genova
- Lucy M. Wang
- Melanie F. Roberts
- Peng Chen
- Won Jung
- Xianwen Mao
- Xuanhao Sun
- Yu-chern Wong
- Łukasz Krzemiński
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- Cornell University
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences
- National Science Foundation
- Office of the Director