The simplest cell-like structure, the lipid bilayer vesicle, can respond to mechanical
deformation by elastic membrane dilation/thinning and curvature changes. When a protein is …

Bacteria can survive dramatic osmotic shifts. Osmoregulatory responses mitigate the passive
adjustments in cell structure and the growth inhibition that may ensue. The levels of certain …

In mechanosensitive (MS) channels, gating is initiated by changes in intra-bilayer pressure
profiles originating from bilayer deformation. Here we evaluated two physical mechanisms …

The mechanosensitive channel of small conductance (MscS) responds both to stretching of
the cell membrane and to membrane depolarization. The crystal structure at 3.9 angstroms …

MECHANOSENSITIVE channels have been found in more than 30 cell types, including
bacterial1, 2, yeast3, plant4 and animal cells5–9. Whether tension is transferred to the …

Microbial adaptation to environmental stimuli is essential for survival. While several of these
stimuli have been studied in detail, recent studies have demonstrated an important role for a …

All cells, including microbes, detect and respond to mechanical forces, of which osmotic
pressure is most ancient and universal. Channel proteins have evolved such that they can …

Bacteria represent one of the most evolutionarily successful groups of organisms to inhabit
Earth. Their world is awash with mechanical cues, probably the most ancient form of which …

Mechanosensitive ion channels (MSCs) which could provide for fast osmoregulatory
responses in bacteria, remain unidentified as molecular entities. MSCs from Escherichia coli …

Insect defensins are cationic, cysteine-rich peptides (approximately 4 kDa) that appear after
bacterial challenge or injury in the hemolymph of insects belonging to a large variety of …