FIG. 2.

Various configurations of the MreB cytoskeleton in mid-exponential-phase V. parahaemolyticus cells examined by fluorescence microscopy. Strain SC9 cells were grown at 37°C in the presence of 10 μM IPTG until they entered the mid-exponential phase. (A) Extended helix; (B) single ring; (C) two separate clusters of helical filaments at opposite poles; (D) single cluster of helical filaments near one pole; (E) irregular structure; (F) relaxed helix; (G) single helix with a compressed end and a loose end; (H) two clusters at opposite poles linked by a thin helix; (I) cross sections of MreB cytoskeleton in cells immobilized with their long axes perpendicular to the coverslip. In panels C and D, the dotted parentheses indicate the range of a cluster, and the solid parenthesis indicates the length of the cell, as observed in a corresponding phase-contrast image. Some of the panels contain schematic diagrams. Scale bar = 1 μm.