title: A strand-specific model for chromosome segregation in bacteria.
abstract: Chromosome separation and segregation must be executed within a bacterial cell in which the membrane and cytoplasm are highly structured. Here, we develop a strand-specific model based on each of the future daughter chromosomes being associated with a different set of structures or hyperstructures in an asymmetric cell. The essence of the segregation mechanism is that the genes on the same strand in the parental cell that are expressed together in a hyperstructure continue to be expressed together and segregate together in the daughter cell. The model therefore requires an asymmetric distribution of classes of genes and of binding sites and other structures on the strands of the parental chromosome. We show that the model is consistent with the asymmetric distribution of highly expressed genes and of stress response genes in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. The model offers a framework for interpreting data from genomics.
authors.affiliation: Unité Génétique des Génomes Bactériens, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris 15, France.
authors.forename: Eduardo P C
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fralick
authors.forename: Govindsamy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vediyappan
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Danchin
authors.forename: Vic
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Norris
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D020090:Chromosome Segregation / Q000502:physiology*; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D004247:DNA