Control of septum thickness by the curvature of SepF polymers
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2021
Gram-positive bacteria divide by forming a thick cross wall. How the thickness of this septal wall is controlled is unknown. In this type of bacteria, the key cell division protein FtsZ is anchored to the cell membrane by two proteins, FtsA and/or SepF. We have isolated SepF homologs from different bacterial species and found that they all polymerize into large protein rings with diameters varying from 19 to 44 nm. Interestingly, these values correlated well with the thickness of their septa. To test whether ring diameter determines septal thickness, we tried to construct different SepF chimeras with the purpose to manipulate the diameter of the SepF protein ring. This was indeed possible and confirmed that the conserved core domain of SepF regulates ring diameter. Importantly, when SepF chimeras with different diameters were expressed in the bacterial host Bacillus subtilis, the thickness of its septa changed accordingly. These results strongly support a model in which septal thickness is controlled by curved molecular clamps formed by SepF polymers attached to the leading edge of nascent septa. This also implies that the intrinsic shape of a protein polymer can function as a mold to shape the cell wall.
FtsZ
SepF
cell division
Bacillus subtilis
Författare
Michaela Wenzel
Universiteit Van Amsterdam
Chalmers, Biologi och bioteknik, Kemisk biologi
Ilkay N. Celik Gulsoy
Universiteit Van Amsterdam
Yongqiang Gao
Harvard Medical School
Universiteit Van Amsterdam
Zihao Teng
Universiteit Van Amsterdam
Joost Willemse
Universiteit Leiden
Martijn Middelkamp
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Mariska G. M. van Rosmalen
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Per W. B. Larsen
Universiteit Van Amsterdam
Nicole N. van der Wel
Universiteit Van Amsterdam
Gijs J. L. Wuite
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Wouter H. Roos
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Leendert W. Hamoen
Universiteit Van Amsterdam
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
0027-8424 (ISSN) 1091-6490 (eISSN)
Vol. 118 2 e2002635118Ämneskategorier
Biokemi och molekylärbiologi
Mikrobiologi
Medicinsk bioteknologi (med inriktning mot cellbiologi (inklusive stamcellsbiologi), molekylärbiologi, mikrobiologi, biokemi eller biofarmaci)
DOI
10.1073/pnas.2002635118
PubMed
33443155