4l1c

Publication Abstract from PubMed

Proper cell division at the mid-site of gram-negative bacteria reflects critical regulation by the min system (MinC, MinD and MinE) of the cytokinetic Z ring, which is a polymer composed of FtsZ subunits. MinC and MinD act together to inhibit aberrantly positioned Z-ring formation. MinC consists of two domains: an N-terminal domain (MinCNTD), which interacts with FtsZ and inhibits FtsZ polymerization, and a C-terminal domain (MinCCTD), which interacts with MinD and inhibits the bundling of FtsZ filaments. These two domains reportedly function together, and both are essential for normal cell division. The full-length dimeric structure of MinC from Thermotoga maritima has been reported, and shows that MinC dimerization occurs via MinCCTD; MinCNTD is not involved in dimerization. Here the crystal structure of Escherichia coli MinCNTD (EcoMinCNTD) is reported. EcoMinCNTD forms a dimer via domain swapping between the first beta strands in each subunit. It is therefore suggested that the dimerization of full-length EcoMinC occurs via both MinCCTD and MinCNTD, and that the dimerized EcoMinCNTD likely plays an important role in inhibiting aberrant Z-ring localization.

Crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of MinC dimerized via domain swapping.,An JY, Kim TG, Park KR, Lee JG, Youn HS, Lee Y, Kang JY, Kang GB, Eom SH J Synchrotron Radiat. 2013 Nov;20(Pt 6):984-8. doi: 10.1107/S0909049513022760., Epub 2013 Oct 2. PMID:24121353^[1]

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