Quantitative atomic force microscopy measurements of Acinetobacter morphology

Abstract Acinetobacter baylyi are variously reported as spherical or rod-shaped. Here we use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to make quantitative nanometer-scale measurements of cellular length and width for thousands of individual cells. We quantify the heterogeneity of populations grown in varying environmental conditions that dramatically affect cell shape. In particular, we look at morphology changes across a growth curve, and we examine cells from populations grown in various growth media. We also examine the morphology of a minC mutant, which suggests an interpretation for the morphological types observed in wild type cells.