The bacterial cell wall is a dynamic, multicomponent structure that provides structural support for cell shape and physical protection from the environment. In monoderm species, the thick cell wall is made up predominantly of peptidoglycan, teichoic acids and a variety of capsular glycans. Filamentous monoderm Actinobacteria, such as Streptomyces coelicolor, incorporate new cell wall material at the apex of their hyphal cells during growth. In this study we use cryo-electron tomography to reveal the structural architecture of the cell wall of this bacterium. Our data shows a density difference between the apex and subapical regions of chemically isolated sacculi. Removal of the teichoic acids with hydrofluoric acid reveals a rough and patchy cell wall and distinct lamellae in a number of sacculi. Absence of the extracellular glycans poly-β-1,6-N-acetylglucosamine and a cellulose-like polymer, produced by the MatAB and CslA proteins respectively, results in a thinner sacculus and absence of lamellae and patches. Extracellular glycans might thus form or lead to the formation of the outer cell wall lamella. Based on these findings we propose a revisited model for the complex cell wall architecture of an apically growing bacterium, in which the network of peptidoglycan together with extracellular polymers is structurally supported by teichoic acids.

Teichoic acids anchor distinct cell wall lamellae in an apically growing bacterium