cell division
Research ArticleA Newly Identified Prophage Gene, ymfM, Causes SOS-Inducible Filamentation in Escherichia coliFilamentation is an important biological mechanism that aids in the survival, pathogenesis, and antibiotic resistance of bacteria within different environments, including pathogenic bacteria such as uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Here, we have identified a bacteriophage-encoded cell division inhibitor which contributes to the filamentation that occurs during the SOS...
Research Article | SpotlightEloR Interacts with the Lytic Transglycosylase MltG at Midcell in Streptococcus pneumoniae R6Bacterial cell division has been a successful target for antimicrobial agents for decades. How different pathogens regulate cell division is, however, poorly understood.
Research ArticleTusA Is a Versatile Protein That Links Translation Efficiency to Cell Division in Escherichia coliMore than 100 different modifications are found in RNAs. One of these modifications is the mnm5s2U modification at the wobble position 34 of tRNAs for Lys, Gln, and Glu.
Research ArticleEslB Is Required for Cell Wall Biosynthesis and Modification in Listeria monocytogenesThe ABC transporter EslABC is associated with the intrinsic lysozyme resistance of Listeria monocytogenes. However, the exact role of the transporter in this process and in the physiology of L. monocytogenes is unknown.
Minireviewylm Has More than a (Z Anchor) Ring to It!The division and cell wall (dcw) cluster is a highly conserved region of the bacterial genome consisting of genes that encode several cell division and cell wall synthesis factors, including the central division protein FtsZ. The region immediately downstream of ftsZ encodes the ylm genes and is conserved across diverse lineages of Gram-positive bacteria and Cyanobacteria. In some organisms, this...
Research ArticleSimulations of Proposed Mechanisms of FtsZ-Driven Cell ConstrictionFtsZ is thought to generate constrictive force to divide the cell, possibly via one of two predominant models in the field. In one, FtsZ filaments overlap to form complete rings which constrict as filaments slide past each other to maximize lateral contact.
Research Article | SpotlightBacteriophage SP01 Gene Product 56 Inhibits Bacillus subtilis Cell Division by Interacting with FtsL and Disrupting Pbp2B and FtsW RecruitmentStudies over the past decades have identified bacteriophage-encoded factors that interfere with host cell shape or cytokinesis during viral infection. The phage factors causing cell filamentation that have been investigated to date all act by targeting FtsZ, the conserved prokaryotic tubulin homolog that composes the cytokinetic ring in most bacteria and some groups of archaea. However, the mechanisms of several phage factors that...
Research ArticleStructural Visualization of Septum Formation in Staphylococcus warneri Using Atomic Force MicroscopyThis work shows that the septum of Staphylococcus warneri is composed of two layers and that the peptidoglycan on the inner surface of the double-layered septum is organized into concentric rings. Moreover, new cell cycles of S. warneri can be initiated before the previous cell cycle is complete. This work advances our knowledge about a basic structure of...
MinireviewDivision without Binary Fission: Cell Division in the FtsZ-Less ChlamydiaChlamydia is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that has significantly reduced its genome size in adapting to its intracellular niche. Among the genes that Chlamydia has eliminated is ftsZ, encoding the central organizer of cell division that directs cell wall synthesis in the division septum. These Gram-negative pathogens have cell envelopes that lack peptidoglycan (PG), yet they use PG for cell...
