Editing Caulobacter crescentus (section)

{{Short description|Species of bacterium}}
{{speciesbox
| image = Caulobacter crescentus.jpg
| taxon = Caulobacter crescentus
| authority = Poindexter 1964
}}

'''''Caulobacter crescentus''''' is a [[Gram-negative]], [[oligotroph]]ic [[bacterium]] widely distributed in fresh water lakes and streams. The taxon is more properly known as ''Caulobacter vibrioides'' (Henrici and Johnson 1935).<ref name=vibrioides/>

''C. crescentus'' is an important [[model organism]] for studying the regulation of the [[cell cycle]], [[asymmetric cell division]], and [[cellular differentiation]].  ''Caulobacter'' daughter cells have two very different forms.  One daughter is a mobile "swarmer" cell that has a single [[flagellum]] at one cell pole that provides swimming motility for [[chemotaxis]].  The other daughter, called the "stalked" cell, has a tubular stalk structure protruding from one pole that has an adhesive holdfast material on its end, with which the stalked cell can adhere to surfaces.  Swarmer cells differentiate into stalked cells after a short period of motility. Chromosome replication and cell division only occurs in the stalked cell stage. 

''C. crescentus'' derives its name from its [[crescent]] shape, which is caused by the protein [[crescentin]]. It is an interesting organism to study because it inhabits nutrient-poor aquatic environments. Their ability to thrive in low levels of nutrients is facilitated by its dimorphic developmental cycle. The swarmer cell has a flagellum that protrudes from a single pole and is unable to initiate DNA replication unless differentiated into a stalked cell. The differentiation process includes a morphological transition characterized by ejection of its flagellum and growth of a stalk at the same pole. Stalked cells can elongate and replicate their DNA while growing a flagellum at the opposite pole, giving rise to a pre-divisional cell. Although the precise function of stalks is still being investigated, it is likely that the stalks are involved in the uptake of nutrients in nutrient-limited conditions.<ref>{{cite journal|pmid=14675535 | doi=10.1016/S0092-8674(03)00935-8 | volume=115 | issue=6 | title=The bacterial cytoskeleton: an intermediate filament-like function in cell shape |date=December 2003 | pages=705–13 | journal=Cell| last1=Ausmees | first1=Nora | last2=Kuhn | first2=Jeffrey R. | last3=Jacobs-Wagner | first3=Christine | s2cid=14459851 | doi-access=free }}</ref> Its use as a model originated with developmental biologist [[Lucy Shapiro]].<ref name=Conger2009>{{cite news|last1=Conger|first1=Krista|title=Top Canadian Prize Goes to Stanford Scientist Lucy Shapiro for Bringing Cell Biology into Three Dimensions|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20090331005207/en/Top-Canadian-Prize-Stanford-Scientist-Lucy-Shapiro|access-date=14 May 2015|work=Business Wire|date=March 31, 2009}}</ref><ref name=Clickthrough>{{cite web|title=2014 Lucy Shapiro|url=http://greengardprize.rockefeller.edu/recipients|access-date=14 May 2015|website=Greengard Prize|date=2014|archive-date=12 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812094652/https://greengardprize.rockefeller.edu/recipients|url-status=dead}}</ref>