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FtsZ and the division of prokaryotic cells and organelles
1Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School, 6431 Fannin, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. William.Margolin@uth.tmc.edu
Abstract:
Binary fission of many prokaryotes as well as some eukaryotic organelles depends on the FtsZ protein, which self-assembles into a membrane-associated ring structure early in the division process. FtsZ is homologous to tubulin, the building block of the microtubule cytoskeleton in eukaryotes. Recent advances in genomics and cell-imaging techniques have paved the way for the remarkable progress in our understanding of fission in bacteria and organelles.
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