MinCD proteins control the septation process during sporulation of Bacillus subtilis.
Mutation of the divIVB locus in Bacillus subtilis causes misplacement of the septum during cell division and allows the formation of anucleate minicells. The divIVB locus contains five open reading frames (ORFs). The last two ORFs (minCD) are homologous to minC and minD of Escherichia coli but a minE homolog is lacking in B. subtilis. There is some similarity between minicell formation and the asymmetric septation that normally occurs during sporulation in terms of polar septum localization. However, it has been proposed that MinCD has no essential role in sporulation septum formation. We have used electron microscopic studies to show septation events during sporulation in some minD strains. We have observed an unusually thin septum at the midcell position in minD and also in minD spoIIE71 mutant cells. Fluorescence microscopy also localized a SpoIIE-green fluorescent protein fusion protein at the midcell site in minD cells. We propose that the MinCD complex plays an important role in asymmetric septum formation during sporulation of B. subtilis cells.
Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 841 51 Bratislava, Slovak Republic umbibara@savba.savba.sk
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Barák
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Prepiak
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Schmeisser
D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D016764:Cell Polarity; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D008954:Models, Biological; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013171:Spores, Bacterial; D014157:Transcription Factors
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C064971:FliA protein, Bacteria; C080466:MinC protein, Bacteria; D012808:Sigma Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors; C092468:spoIIR protein, Bacillus subtilis; C030069:spore-specific proteins, Bacillus; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; C072069:MinD protein, E coli