ArticleBMC biology2017
Rapid, precise quantification of bacterial cellular dimensions across a genomic-scale knockout library.
Article in BMC biology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 92 papers.
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Who cites it
92 citing papers in PubMed.
- Independent tuning of outer membrane fluidity and mechanics in Gram-negative bacteria.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- The phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system regulates cell length and width through semi-independent pathways.Molecular biology of the cell · 2026Article
- Nuclear size and physical properties of the nucleoplasm are determined by colloid osmotic pressure at the nuclear envelope.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Exploring the genetic landscape of ciprofloxacin-induced DNA supercompaction in Escherichia coli.Nucleic acids research · 2026Article
- Deep-learning deconvolution and segmentation of fluorescent membranes for high-precision bacterial cell-size profiling.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Differential endopeptidase requirements during adaptation to changing growth conditions inMicrobiology (Reading, England) · 2026Article
- Comprehensive genetic interaction analysis of the Bacillus subtilis envelope using double-CRISPRi.Cell systems · 2025Article
- Modulation of bacterial cell size and growth rate via activation of a cell envelope stress response.mBio · 2025Article
- Bacterial cell widening alters periplasmic size and activates envelope stress responses.The EMBO journal · 2025Article
- Non-canonical resource allocation in heterotrophically growing Thermoanaerobacter kivui.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Review
- Peptidoglycan-outer membrane attachment generates periplasmic pressure to prevent lysis in Gram-negative bacteria.Nature microbiology · 2025Article
- Complex interplay between gene deletions and the environment uncovers cellular roles for genes of unknown function inmSystems · 2025Article
- HU promotes higher order chromosome organization and influences DNA replication rates in Streptococcus pneumoniae.Nucleic acids research · 2025Article
- Article
- Profiling Salmonella transcriptional dynamics during macrophage infection using a comprehensive reporter library.Nature microbiology · 2025Article
- Deep learning-driven bacterial cytological profiling to determine antimicrobial mechanisms inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Metabolic rearrangement enables adaptation of microbial growth rate to temperature shifts.Nature microbiology · 2025Article
- ReducedMicroorganisms · 2024Article
- Quantitative microbiology with widefield microscopy: navigating optical artefacts for accurate interpretations.Npj imaging · 2024Article
32 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe determination and regulation of cell morphology are critical components of cell-cycle control, fitness, and development in both single-cell and multicellular organisms. Understanding how environmental factors, chemical perturbations, and genetic differences affect cell morphology requires precise, unbiased, and validated measurements of cell-shape features.
resultsHere we introduce two software packages, Morphometrics and BlurLab, that together enable automated, computationally efficient, unbiased identification of cells and morphological features. We applied these tools to bacterial cells because the small size of these cells and the subtlety of certain morphological changes have thus far obscured correlations between bacterial morphology and genotype. We used an online resource of images of the Keio knockout library of nonessential genes in the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli to demonstrate that cell width, width variability, and length significantly correlate with each other and with drug treatments, nutrient changes, and environmental conditions. Further, we combined morphological classification of genetic variants with genetic meta-analysis to reveal novel connections among gene function, fitness, and cell morphology, thus suggesting potential functions for unknown genes and differences in modes of action of antibiotics.
conclusionsMorphometrics and BlurLab set the stage for future quantitative studies of bacterial cell shape and intracellular localization. The previously unappreciated connections between morphological parameters measured with these software packages and the cellular environment point toward novel mechanistic connections among physiological perturbations, cell fitness, and growth.
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