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Published on: September 25, 2023
Asynchronous division by non-ring FtsZ in the gammaproteobacterial symbiont of Robbea hypermnestra
Nikolaus Leisch1,2, Nika Pende1, Philipp M Weber1
1Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Archaeal Biology and Ecogenomics Division, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
Abstract:
The reproduction mode of uncultivable microorganisms deserves investigation as it can largely diverge from conventional transverse binary fission. Here, we show that the rod-shaped gammaproteobacterium thriving on the surface of the Robbea hypermnestra nematode divides by FtsZ-based, non-synchronous invagination of its poles-that is, the host-attached and fimbriae-rich pole invaginates earlier than the distal one. We conclude that, in a naturally occurring animal symbiont, binary fission is host-oriented and does not require native FtsZ to polymerize into a ring at any septation stage.
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