Linked Life Data

2518734

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/2518734

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
4
pubmed:dateCreated
1991-5-29
pubmed:abstractText
Experiments are described in which the tensile strength, the extensibility and the initial Young's modulus of bacterial cell wall have been determined as functions of relative humidity in the range 11-98%. Data on stress relaxation and recovery are also given. Standard fibre-measuring technique has been used on 'bacterial thread', made from a cell-separation-suppressed mutant of Bacillus subtilis. The data show that peptidoglycan, the load bearing polymer in the cell wall, behaves very much like other viscoelastic polymers. Its mechanical behaviour when dry is that of a glassy polymer with tensile strength about 300 MPa and modulus about 20 GPa. When wet, it is weaker and much less stiff with tensile strength about 3 M Pa and modulus 10 M Pa. The relaxation data indicate a wide spectrum of relaxation times. The results are discussed in terms of the structure of peptidoglycan and its orientation in the bacterial cell wall. The way in which mechanical behaviour depends strongly on humidity is compared with that of other biopolymers in terms of possible hydrogen-bond density and the ordering of water molecules. The possibility of a well-defined glass transition is briefly examined.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Aug
pubmed:issn
0141-8130
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
11
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
201-6
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1989
pubmed:articleTitle
Mechanical properties of peptidoglycan as determined from bacterial thread.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't