Structural and Genomic Features of Treponemal Architecture
Jacques Izard and Ronald J. Limberger
from: Pathogenic Treponema: Molecular and Cellular Biology (Edited by: Justin D. Radolf and Sheila A. Lukehart). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2006)
Abstract
Treponema denticola and Treponema phagedenis are important models for deciphering the unique architectural and genetic features of treponemes. Darkfield and electron microscopy have delineated the general structure of treponemes as deduced from these two dimensional techniques. Advances in genetic tools and three dimensional visualization techniques are now linking cell architecture, cell ultrastructures, and genetic data. Ultrastructures are multi-component assemblies within the cell that drive specific functions critical to the cell such as cell division, cell shape and motility. A key treponemal ultrastructure is the cytoplasmic filament ribbon which is involved in the cell division process. Recently, application of new methods to the structural analysis of T. phagedenis has revealed novel features of the cytoplasmic filament ribbon. The observed cytoplasmic filament ribbon actually consists of independent filaments connected to each other via bridging components and anchored to the inner membrane. The nature and components of this macromolecular complex are discussed as well as the novelty of the filamentous ribbon structure. The availability of whole genome sequences from two treponemal species also allows the comparative study with other bacterial cytoskeleton-associated structures towards achieving a global picture of spirochetal cell biology read more ...
