identifier: METPO:1000673
label: ellipsoidal
definition: A cell shape in which an organism has an oval or ellipse morphology, elongated
  along one axis with rounded ends, intermediate between spherical and rod-shaped.
definition_source: DOI:10.1089/mdr.2014.0032
trait_category: MORPHOLOGY
term_kind: CLASS
mapping_status: REVIEWED
parent_traits:
- METPO:1000666
created_by: Luke Wang
evidence:
- reference: DOI:10.1089/mdr.2014.0032
  snippet: ovococci that are ellipsoid
  notes: Supports ellipsoidal bacterial morphology as a named ovococcal shape class.
causal_graphs:
- graph_id: ellipsoidal_ovococcal_elongation
  title: Ellipsoidal ovococcal elongation mechanism
  description: Evidence-backed causal sketch linking ellipsoidal morphology to ovococcal
    peripheral peptidoglycan insertion, septal synthesis, PBP2b, and DivIVA-regulated
    elongation.
  nodes:
  - node_id: ellipsoidal_trait
    label: ellipsoidal
    node_type: TRAIT
    grounding: METPO:1000673
    description: Ellipse-like bacterial cell morphology.
  - node_id: peripheral_peptidoglycan
    label: peripheral peptidoglycan
    node_type: CELLULAR_LOCALIZATION
    description: Lateral wall material generated during ovococcal elongation.
  - node_id: pbp2b
    label: PBP2b
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Peptidoglycan synthase implicated in ovococcal elongation.
    grounding: UniProtKB:A0A892RPK7
  - node_id: divIVA
    label: DivIVA
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Morphogenetic protein coordinating septum splitting and elongation.
    grounding: UniProtKB:Q1IYG2
  - node_id: septal_and_peripheral_synthesis
    label: septal and peripheral peptidoglycan synthesis
    node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS
    description: Coordinated wall synthesis pattern in ovococci.
  - node_id: ellipsoid_geometry
    label: ellipsoid geometry
    node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS
    description: Rounded cell geometry elongated along one axis.
  - node_id: divisome
    label: divisome (FtsZ/PBP2x/FtsW)
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Inner septal PG synthesis machine including FtsZ, bPBP2x and FtsW.
  - node_id: septal_pg_synthesis
    label: septal peptidoglycan synthesis
    node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS
    description: Constriction-associated PG synthesis at the division septum.
  - node_id: elongasome
    label: elongasome (PBP2b/RodA)
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Outer peripheral PG synthesis machine including bPBP2b and RodA.
  - node_id: peripheral_pg_synthesis
    label: peripheral peptidoglycan synthesis
    node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS
    description: Elongation-associated lateral PG synthesis.
  - node_id: spatial_ring_separation
    label: spatial separation of septal and peripheral PG rings
    node_type: CELLULAR_LOCALIZATION
    description: Concentric inner sPG and outer pPG rings at midcell.
  - node_id: undecaprenyl_phosphate
    label: undecaprenyl phosphate (Und-P)
    node_type: CHEMICAL
    description: Lipid carrier delivering cell wall precursors; limiting for PG synthesis.
  - node_id: combined_septal_peripheral
    label: combined septal and peripheral PG synthesis
    node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS
    description: Joint use of septal and peripheral PG synthesis characteristic of
      ovococci.
  edges:
  - subject: pbp2b
    predicate: promotes
    object: peripheral_peptidoglycan
    description: PBP2b promotes peripheral wall synthesis in ovococcal elongation.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1089/mdr.2014.0032
      snippet: PBP2b of ovococci
      notes: Supports PBP2b as part of the ovococcal elongation system.
    predicate_id: RO:0002213
  - subject: divIVA
    predicate: regulates
    object: septal_and_peripheral_synthesis
    description: DivIVA regulates septal cleavage and peripheral peptidoglycan synthesis
      during ovococcal morphogenesis.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1128/mbio.01311-24
      snippet: peripheral peptidoglycan synthesis
      notes: Supports DivIVA control of ovococcal wall remodeling and elongation.
    predicate_id: RO:0002211
  - subject: peripheral_peptidoglycan
    predicate: contributes to
    object: ellipsoid_geometry
    description: Peripheral wall insertion contributes to elongation of the ellipsoidal
      cell body.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1128/mbio.01311-24
      snippet: septum cleavage and peripheral peptidoglycan synthesis
      notes: Supports peripheral PG as a remodeling event for ovococcal elongation.
    predicate_id: RO:0002326
  - subject: septal_and_peripheral_synthesis
    predicate: causes
    object: ellipsoid_geometry
    description: Coordinated septal and peripheral synthesis shapes the ellipsoidal
      cell body.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.041
      snippet: dynamics of peptidoglycan assembly
      notes: Supports PG assembly dynamics in ovoid bacteria.
    predicate_id: biolink:causes
  - subject: ellipsoid_geometry
    predicate: manifests as
    object: ellipsoidal_trait
    description: Ellipsoid cell-body geometry manifests the ellipsoidal trait.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1089/mdr.2014.0032
      snippet: ovococci that are ellipsoid
      notes: Supports the morphology endpoint.
    predicate_id: METPO:2007400
  - subject: divisome
    predicate: carries out
    object: septal_pg_synthesis
    description: The divisome (FtsZ/bPBP2x/FtsW) carries out septal PG synthesis.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1111/mmi.14659
      notes: an inner sPG machine (bPBP2x TP with FtsW GT)
  - subject: elongasome
    predicate: carries out
    object: peripheral_pg_synthesis
    description: The elongasome (bPBP2b/RodA plus Rod complex) carries out peripheral
      PG synthesis.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1111/mmi.14659
      notes: an outer pPG machine (bPBP2b TP with RodA GT plus Rod complex proteins)
  - subject: pbp2b
    predicate: required for
    object: peripheral_pg_synthesis
    description: PBP2b is indispensable for lateral/peripheral PG synthesis and elongasome
      function.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1111/mmi.13543
      notes: PBP2b is identified as indispensable for lateral PG synthesis and is
        a key component of the elongasome
  - subject: spatial_ring_separation
    predicate: enables
    object: combined_septal_peripheral
    description: Spatial separation of inner sPG and outer pPG rings enables concurrent
      septal and peripheral synthesis underlying ellipsoidal shape.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1111/mmi.14659
      notes: septal and peripheral peptidoglycan synthesis are spatially separated
        at midcell into two concentric structures
    predicate_id: RO:0002327
  - subject: undecaprenyl_phosphate
    predicate: preferentially required for
    object: septal_pg_synthesis
    description: Septal PG synthesis is more sensitive to Und-P limitation than peripheral
      synthesis, so Und-P limitation favors elongation.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.7554/eLife.75607
      notes: septal peptidoglycan synthesis is more sensitive to reduced Und-P levels
        than peripheral peptidoglycan synthesis
  - subject: combined_septal_peripheral
    predicate: results in
    object: ellipsoidal_trait
    description: Ovococcal/ellipsoidal shape results from combined use of septal and
      peripheral PG synthesis.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1038/nrmicro3088
      notes: Ovococcal cells, with an ellipsoid shape... ovococci use both septal
        and peripheral peptidoglycan synthesis
curation_history:
- timestamp: '2026-05-05T01:35:46.888945+00:00'
  curator: seed_from_metpo
  action: SEEDED_FROM_METPO
  changes: imported from data/raw/metpo.owl (CLASS)
  llm_assisted: false
- timestamp: '2026-05-11T20:05:00-07:00'
  curator: codex
  action: CURATED_WITH_LITERATURE
  changes: Added DOI-backed definition and causal graph for PBP2b, DivIVA, peripheral
    peptidoglycan, coordinated septal/peripheral wall synthesis, and ellipsoid geometry.
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-05-20T03:35:31Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_PREDICATES
  changes: Grounded 2 causal-edge predicate_id field(s) via mappings/predicate_grounding.tsv
    (RO:0002211×1, RO:0002326×1).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-05-23T21:30:07Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_PREDICATES
  changes: Grounded 1 causal-edge predicate_id field(s) via mappings/predicate_grounding.tsv
    (METPO:2007400×1).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-05-24T04:13:19Z'
  curator: claude
  action: RENAME_PREDICATE_LABELS
  changes: 'Renamed 1 causal-edge predicate label(s) to align with existing groundings:
    shapes → causes ×1.'
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-05-24T04:13:21Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_PREDICATES
  changes: Grounded 1 causal-edge predicate_id field(s) via mappings/predicate_grounding.tsv
    (biolink:causes×1).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-05-24T05:05:14Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_NODES
  changes: Grounded 2 causal-node grounding field(s) via mappings/node_grounding.tsv
    (UniProtKB:A0A892RPK7×1, UniProtKB:Q1IYG2×1).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-13T21:03:26Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_PREDICATES
  changes: Grounded 1 causal-edge predicate_id field(s) via mappings/predicate_grounding.tsv
    (RO:0002213×1).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-17T04:09:44Z'
  curator: claude
  action: REMOVE_REDUNDANT_SYNONYM
  changes: Removed 1 synonym(s) whose text duplicated the label (seeder redundancy;
    no information lost).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-23T00:00:00Z'
  curator: claude
  action: ENRICH_CAUSAL_GRAPH
  changes: Added 6 evidence-backed generic edges (7 new nodes) from the deep-research
    report.
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-24T17:21:13Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_PREDICATES
  changes: Grounded 1 causal-edge predicate_id field(s) via mappings/predicate_grounding.tsv
    (RO:0002327×1).
  llm_assisted: true