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Journal of Bacteriology, December 2001, p. 7190-7197, Vol. 183, No. 24
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JB.183.24.7190-7197.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Assembly of an FtsZ Mutant Deficient in GTPase Activity Has Implications for FtsZ Assembly and the Role of the Z Ring in Cell Division

Amit Mukherjee,1 Cristian Saez,2 and Joe Lutkenhaus1,*

Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160,1 and School of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri---Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri 641102

Received 22 May 2001/Accepted 21 September 2001

FtsZ, the ancestral homologue of eukaryotic tubulins, assembles into the Z ring, which is required for cytokinesis in prokaryotic cells. Both FtsZ and tubulin have a GTPase activity associated with polymerization. Interestingly, the ftsZ2 mutant is viable, although the FtsZ2 mutant protein has dramatically reduced GTPase activity due to a glycine-for-aspartic acid substitution within the synergy loop. In this study, we have examined the properties of FtsZ2 and found that the reduced GTPase activity is not enhanced by DEAE-dextran-induced assembly, indicating it has a defective catalytic site. In the absence of DEAE-dextran, FtsZ2 fails to assemble unless supplemented with wild-type FtsZ. FtsZ has to be at or above the critical concentration for copolymerization to occur, indicating that FtsZ is nucleating the copolymers. The copolymers formed are relatively stable and appear to be stabilized by a GTP-cap. These results indicate that FtsZ2 cannot nucleate assembly in vitro, although it must in vivo. Furthermore, the stability of FtsZ-FtsZ2 copolymers argues that FtsZ2 polymers would be stable, suggesting that stable FtsZ polymers are able to support cell division.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160. Phone (913) 588-7054. Fax: (913) 588-7295. E-mail: jlutkenh{at}kumc.edu.

Journal of Bacteriology, December 2001, p. 7190-7197, Vol. 183, No. 24
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JB.183.24.7190-7197.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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Appl. Environ. Microbiol. Infect. Immun. Eukaryot. Cell
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Copyright © 2001 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.