Mechanochemical morphodynamics of active bacterial cells

Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur - Kharagpur 721302, West Bengal, India

Received: 20 January 2025
Accepted: 11 June 2025

Abstract

Bacterial cells exhibit a diverse array of shapes and sizes, largely influenced by their cell walls in conjunction with cytoskeletal proteins and internal turgor pressure. The present study develops a theoretical framework for modeling the shape dynamics of actively expanding bacterial cell walls, grounded in the concept of minimal energy dissipation. In the context of a bacterial cell wall, dissipative forces are generated through the insertion of peptidoglycan (PG) strands, while driving forces stem from alterations in mechanochemical energy, crucial for sustaining the cell wall's shape. The interplay between mechanical and chemical energies facilitates the evaluation of the free energy landscape and helps in predicting the homeostasis of the bacterial cell size. The size limit derived through linear stability analysis (LSA) of a model system accurately mirrors the phase diagram produced by the theoretical model. Nonetheless, given the cell wall's intricate molecular architecture, a more detailed constitutive model is expected to provide more precise quantitative insights.