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TransFLP — A Method to Genetically Modify Vibrio cholerae Based on Natural Transformation and FLP-recombination
Published on: October 8, 2012
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Cell division licensing in the multi-chromosomal Vibrio cholerae bacterium
Elisa Galli1, Mickaël Poidevin1, Romain Le Bars1
1Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris Sud, 1 avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France.
Nature Microbiology
|August 27, 2016
Summary
In bacteria with multiple chromosomes, like Vibrio cholerae, the second chromosome (Chr2) helps regulate cell division. Chr2 contains elements that inhibit Z-ring formation, ensuring proper divisome positioning and delaying division until the cell cycle
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Bacterial cell division is orchestrated with chromosome replication and segregation for genetic stability.
- The divisome, crucial for division, assembles via FtsZ polymerization into a Z-ring at mid-cell.
- The bacterial chromosome regulates division by scaffolding inhibitors of FtsZ polymerization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how bacteria with multiple chromosomes, specifically Vibrio cholerae, coordinate cell division.
- To determine the role of the second chromosome (Chr2) in regulating divisome assembly and positioning.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Chr2 for potential regulatory elements.
- Investigating the interaction of Chr2 with FtsZ polymerization inhibitors.
- Microscopy and genetic techniques to observe divisome formation and cell division timing.
Main Results:
- Vibrio cholerae possesses two chromosomes: Chr1 (3 Mbp) and Chr2 (1 Mbp).
- Chr2 contains binding motifs for inhibitors of FtsZ polymerization.
- These motifs on Chr2 accurately position the divisome at mid-cell and delay its assembly until late in the cell cycle.
Conclusions:
- The second chromosome (Chr2) in Vibrio cholerae plays a regulatory role in cell division.
- Chr2's binding motifs for division inhibitors ensure precise divisome placement and timely division.
- This mechanism highlights a unique strategy for cell division licensing in multi-chromosomal bacteria.
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