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07:47
Microscopy of Fission Yeast Sexual Lifecycle
Published on: March 9, 2016
Ancient ESCRTs and the evolution of binary fission
Rachel Y Samson1, Stephen D Bell
1Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK.
Trends in Microbiology
|September 29, 2009
Summary
Cell division in prokaryotes can occur without tubulin proteins. Some archaea use the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) system for binary fission, revealing two distinct cell division mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Microbiology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Tubulin proteins are crucial for DNA segregation and cell division in eukaryotes and prokaryotes.
- Recent discoveries show cell division can proceed without tubulin.
- Hyperthermophilic archaea, lacking tubulin, divide via binary fission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the mechanisms of cell division in prokaryotes, particularly in the absence of tubulin.
- To highlight the role of the ESCRT system in archaeal binary fission.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing scientific literature on cell division machinery.
- Comparative analysis of tubulin-dependent and ESCRT-dependent division pathways.
Main Results:
- Archaea lacking tubulin utilize homologs of the eukaryotic endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) system for binary fission.
- The ESCRT system is essential for membrane manipulation during archaeal cell division.
- Two independent evolutionary pathways for binary fission have emerged in prokaryotes.
Conclusions:
- Cell division in prokaryotes is not solely dependent on tubulin-like proteins.
- The ESCRT system represents an alternative machinery for driving binary fission in certain archaea.
- The evolution of cell division showcases distinct molecular mechanisms in prokaryotic domains.
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