Bacteria study suggests new treatments

BLOOMINGTON, Ind., Jan. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've identified a new bacterial growth process that could aid in the development of antibacterial strategies.

Past studies of rod-shaped bacteria such as E. coli suggested most bacteria grow by binary fission, a dispersed mode of growth involving insertion of new cell wall material uniformly along the long axis of the cell.

But scientists at the University of Indiana and international colleagues say they've observed a new growth process that occurs at a single end or pole of the cell instead of uniform, dispersed growth along the long axis of the cell.

"As a consequence of polar growth, the two bacterial cells are actually markedly different," lead author Yves Brun, an IU Bloomington biology professor, said in a university release. "One cell contains all of the old cell wall and surface molecules, including those with damage. In contrast, the other cell is composed of newly synthesized, relatively pristine material."

Since the defense systems of many plant and animal hosts recognize bacterial cell surfaces, rapid modification of the cell surface may allow bacteria like those studied in the experiments to evade detection by the host cell's defense systems.

Understanding the mechanisms of bacterial growth has enabled advances in strategies to limit the proliferation of bacteria that cause disease, and the identification of the new growth process in many bacteria could add to those strategies, researchers said.