4v03

Publication Abstract from PubMed

During bacterial cell division, filaments of the tubulin-like protein FtsZ assemble at midcell to form the cytokinetic Z-ring. Its positioning is regulated by the oscillation of MinCDE proteins. MinC is activated by MinD through an unknown mechanism and prevents Z-ring assembly anywhere but midcell. Here, using X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy and in vivo analyses, we show that MinD activates MinC by forming a new class of alternating copolymeric filaments that show similarity to eukaryotic septin filaments. A non-polymerizing mutation in MinD causes aberrant cell division in Escherichia coli. MinCD copolymers bind to membrane, interact with FtsZ and are disassembled by MinE. Imaging a functional msfGFP-MinC fusion protein in MinE-deleted cells reveals filamentous structures. EM imaging of our reconstitution of the MinCD-FtsZ interaction on liposome surfaces reveals a plausible mechanism for regulation of FtsZ ring assembly by MinCD copolymers.

MinCD cell division proteins form alternating copolymeric cytomotive filaments.,Ghosal D, Trambaiolo D, Amos LA, Lowe J Nat Commun. 2014 Dec 15;5:5341. doi: 10.1038/ncomms6341. PMID:25500731^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.