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Condensation of FtsZ filaments can drive bacterial cell division.

ABSTRACT: Forces are important in biological systems for accomplishing key cell functions, such as motility, organelle transport, and cell division. Currently, known force generation mechanisms typically involve motor proteins. In bacterial cells, no known motor proteins are involved in cell division. Instead, a division ring (Z-ring) consists of mostly FtsZ, FtsA, and ZipA is used to exerting a contractile force. The mechanism of force generation in bacterial cell division is unknown. Using computational modeling, we show that Z-ring formation results from the colocalization of FtsZ and FtsA mediated by the favorable alignment of FtsZ polymers. The model predicts that the Z-ring undergoes a condensation transition from a low-density state to a high-density state and generates a sufficient contractile force to achieve division. FtsZ GTP hydrolysis facilitates monomer turnover during the condensation transition, but does not directly generate forces. In vivo fluorescence measurements show that FtsZ density increases during division, in accord with model results. The mechanism is akin to van der Waals picture of gas-liquid condensation, and shows that organisms can exploit microphase transitions to generate mechanical forces.

SUBMITTER: Lan G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2629247 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Condensation of FtsZ filaments can drive bacterial cell division.

Lan Ganhui G Daniels Brian R BR Dobrowsky Terrence M TM Wirtz Denis D Sun Sean X SX

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20081230 1

Forces are important in biological systems for accomplishing key cell functions, such as motility, organelle transport, and cell division. Currently, known force generation mechanisms typically involve motor proteins. In bacterial cells, no known motor proteins are involved in cell division. Instead, a division ring (Z-ring) consists of mostly FtsZ, FtsA, and ZipA is used to exerting a contractile force. The mechanism of force generation in bacterial cell division is unknown. Using computational ...[more]

PMID: 19116281

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Project description:When deprived of FtsZ, Escherichia coli cells (VIP205) grown in liquid form long nonseptated filaments due to their inability to assemble an FtsZ ring and their failure to recruit subsequent divisome components. These filaments fail to produce colonies on solid medium, in which synthesis of FtsZ is induced, upon being diluted by a factor greater than 4. However, once the initial FtsZ levels are recovered in liquid culture, they resume division, and their plating efficiency returns to normal. The potential septation sites generated in the FtsZ-deprived filaments are not annihilated, and once sufficient FtsZ is accumulated, they all become active and divide to produce cells of normal length. FtsZ-deprived cells accumulate defects in their physiology, including an abnormally high number of unsegregated nucleoids that may result from the misplacement of FtsK. Their membrane integrity becomes compromised and the amount of membrane proteins, such as FtsK and ZipA, increases. FtsZ-deprived cells also show an altered expression pattern, namely, transcription of several genes responding to DNA damage increases, whereas transcription of some ribosomal or global transcriptional regulators decreases. We propose that the changes caused by the depletion of FtsZ, besides stopping division, weaken the cell, diminishing its resiliency to minor challenges, such as dilution stress.ImportanceOur results suggest a role for FtsZ, in addition to its already known effect in the constriction of E. coli, in protecting the nondividing cells against minor stress. This protection can even be exerted when an inactive FtsZ is produced, but it is lost when the protein is altogether absent. These results have implications in fields like synthetic biology or antimicrobial discovery. The construction of synthetic divisomes in the test tube may need to preserve unsuspected roles, such as this newly found FtsZ property, to guarantee the stability of artificial containers. Whereas the effects on viability caused by inhibiting the activity of FtsZ may be partly overcome by filamentation, the absence of FtsZ is not tolerated by E. coli, an observation that may help in the design of effective antimicrobial compounds.

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Condensation of FtsZ filaments can drive bacterial cell division.

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Condensation of FtsZ filaments can drive bacterial cell division.

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