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Nature Reviews Microbiology 6, 331 (1 May 2008) | doi:10.1038/nrmicro1897

Bacterial physiology: Double trouble

Rachel Smallridge

A clearer picture of the mycobacterial cell envelope has been revealed by Hoffmann, Engelhardt and colleagues using cryo-electron tomography (CET). In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, they report that, in contrast with the current model, the outer layer of this envelope is a morphologically symmetrical lipid bilayer.