Cell division of Staphylococcus adopts a 'popping' mechanism that mediates extremely rapid separation of the septum. Elucidating the structure of the septum is crucial for understanding this exceptional bacterial cell division mechanism. Here, the septum structure of Staphylococcus warneri is extensively characterized using high-speed time-lapse confocal microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and electron microscopy. The cells of S. warneri divide in a fast ′popping′ manner on a millisecond timescale. Our results show that the septum is composed of two separable layers, providing a structural basis for the ultrafast daughter cell separation. The septum is formed progressively toward the center with non-uniform thickness of the septal disk in radial directions. The peptidoglycan on the inner surface of double-layered septa is organized into concentric rings, which are generated along with septum formation. Moreover, this study signifies the importance of new septum formation in initiating new cell cycles. This work unravels the structural basis underlying the ′popping′ mechanism that drives Staphylococcus cell division and reveals a generic structure of the bacterial cell.

中文翻译：

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利用原子力显微镜对华氏葡萄球菌中隔形成的结构可视化

金黄色葡萄球菌的细胞分裂采用“弹出”机制，介导隔膜的极快分离。阐明隔膜的结构对于理解这种特殊的细菌细胞分裂机制至关重要。在这里，使用高速延时共聚焦显微镜，原子力显微镜和电子显微镜广泛表征了金黄色葡萄球菌的隔膜结构。沃纳链球菌的细胞以毫秒级的时间快速“弹出”分裂。我们的结果表明，隔膜由两个可分离的层组成，为超快速子细胞的分离提供了结构基础。隔膜在径向方向上以不均匀的间隔盘朝向中心逐渐形成。双层隔垫内表面上的肽聚糖组织成同心环，同心环随隔垫的形成而产生。此外，这项研究表明在启动新的细胞周期中新的隔膜形成的重要性。这项工作揭示了驱动葡萄球菌细胞分裂并揭示细菌细胞通用结构的“弹出”机制背后的结构基础。