Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Super-resolution Imaging of the Bacterial Division Machinery
08:47

Super-resolution Imaging of the Bacterial Division Machinery

Published on: January 21, 2013

12.3K

Identification of putative Z-ring-associated proteins, involved in cell division in human pathogenic bacteria

Mohammad Kamran1, Swati Sinha2, Priyanka Dubey1

  • 1Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.

FEBS Letters
|June 3, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Researchers identified missing bacterial cell division proteins in Helicobacter pylori, specifically homologs for ZapA and ZapB, crucial for Z-ring stability and cell division. This finding aids in understanding bacterial growth mechanisms.

Area of Science:

  • Bacteriology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Microbial Genetics

Background:

  • Bacterial cell division relies on the FtsZ protein forming a Z-ring, stabilized by Z-ring associated proteins (Zaps).
  • Helicobacter pylori lacks known Zap proteins, yet possesses a functional cell division system.
  • Understanding these missing components is key to deciphering H. pylori's unique division process.

Discussion:

  • HHsearch identified potential ZapA and ZapB homologs in H. pylori, suggesting conserved functions in cell division.
  • The study validates the function of a putative ZapA homolog through genetic complementation, immuno-colocalization, and biochemical assays.
  • These findings fill a gap in knowledge regarding H. pylori cell division machinery.

Key Insights:

  • Homologs for ZapA and ZapB were identified in Helicobacter pylori using computational methods.
  • Experimental validation confirmed the functional role of a putative ZapA homolog in bacterial cell division.
  • This research elucidates previously unknown components of the H. pylori cell division apparatus.

Outlook:

  • Further investigation into the identified ZapB homolog and other putative proteins could reveal more about H. pylori cell division.
  • Understanding these mechanisms may offer novel targets for antimicrobial strategies against H. pylori infections.
  • Comparative analysis with other bacteria can shed light on the evolution of cell division systems.
Keywords:
FtsAFtsZZapAZapscell division

More Related Videos

Super-resolution Imaging of the Cytokinetic Z Ring in Live Bacteria Using Fast 3D-Structured Illumination Microscopy f3D-SIM12:44

Super-resolution Imaging of the Cytokinetic Z Ring in Live Bacteria Using Fast 3D-Structured Illumination Microscopy f3D-SIM

Published on: September 29, 2014

20.5K
Fluorescence Live-cell Imaging of the Complete Vegetative Cell Cycle of the Slow-growing Social Bacterium Myxococcus xanthus11:45

Fluorescence Live-cell Imaging of the Complete Vegetative Cell Cycle of the Slow-growing Social Bacterium Myxococcus xanthus

Published on: June 20, 2018

10.1K

Related Concept Videos

Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria01:29

Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria

Bacterial cells were initially considered simple, randomly organized structures lacking a cytoskeleton. However, the discovery of cytoskeleton homologs in bacteria led to the change of this opinion. Bacterial cytoskeletal filaments regulate the cell shape, cell polarity, cell division, and partitioning of plasmids during cell division. It was later discovered that bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, mainly actin and tubulin homologs, are diverse compared to their eukaryotic counterparts. On the...
4.4K
The Contractile Ring02:15

The Contractile Ring

Contractile rings are composed of microfilaments and are responsible for separating the daughter cells during cytokinesis. Contractile ring assembly proceeds along with other cell cycle events; however, very few mechanistic details are known about the timing and coordination of the contractile rings with the cell cycle.
A small GTPase, RhoA, controls the function and assembly of the contractile ring. RhoA belongs to the Ras superfamily of proteins. The activation of formins by RhoA promotes...
7.5K
DNA Helicases00:55

DNA Helicases

DNA unwinding helicase enzymes are a type of motor protein. Motor proteins can translocate along filaments or polymers using energy generated from ATP hydrolysis. Helicases are involved in all the important cellular processes where DNA unwinding is required, such as DNA replication, repair, recombination, and transcription. They are present in all living organisms, but vary in their structure, function, and mechanism of action. For example, in prokaryotes, DnaB helicase binds and translocates...
24.8K
Negative Regulator Molecules01:23

Negative Regulator Molecules

Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
38.8K
Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins01:21

Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins

Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...
4.0K
Cohesins02:20

Cohesins

Cohesin protein complexes are a molecular glue that holds two sister chromatids together. They play an important role both in mitosis and meiosis. In mitosis, all cohesin complexes present on the chromosomes are removed before the start of the anaphase stage.
Cohesin complexes in Meiotic Division
Meiosis involves two distinct rounds of chromosomal segregation and cell divisions— Meiosis I followed by Meiosis II – producing four daughter cells. Meiosis I includes the separation of...
5.8K