Sphingobium

Extreme envelope plasticity drives temperature-dependent morphogenesis in the LPS-free bacterium Sphingobium yanoikuyae

Bacterial growth patterns are generally considered to be constrained and species-specific. Here, we show that Sphingobium yanoikuyae exhibits exceptional plasticity in envelope architecture and morphogenesis driven by a glycosphingolipid (GSL)-based outer membrane and an atypical peptidoglycan structure. At 30{degrees}C, cells expand asymmetrically via a rare bipolar envelope synthesis mode, whereas growth at 37{degrees}C triggers a transition toward longitudinal elongation accompanied by...