title: Polymerization of nucleotide-free, GDP- and GTP-bound cell division protein FtsZ: GDP makes the difference.
abstract: Stable, more than 98% nucleotide-free apo-FtsZ was prepared from purified Methanococcus jannaschhi FtsZ. This facilitates the study of the functional mechanisms of this FtsZ, an assembling GTPase, which shares a common fold with eukaryotic tubulin. Apo-FtsZ underwent cooperative magnesium-induced polymerization with a similar critical concentration and morphology related to that of reconstituted GTP-bound FtsZ, suggesting that the binding of GTP contributes insignificantly to the stability of the FtsZ polymers. On the other hand, reconstituted GDP-FtsZ polymerized with a larger critical concentration than GTP-FtsZ, indicating that GDP binding destabilizes FtsZ polymers. Upon GTP hydrolysis by FtsZ polymers, in the absence of a continued GTP supply and under macromolecular crowding conditions enhancing FtsZ polymerization, the straight GTP polymers disappeared and were replaced by characteristic helically curved GDP-bound polymers. These results suggest that the roles of GTP binding and hydrolysis by this archaeal FtsZ are simply to facilitate disassembly. In a physiological situation in GTP excess, GDP-bound FtsZ subunits could again bind GTP, or trigger disassembly, or be recognized by FtsZ filament depolymerizing proteins, allowing the Z-ring dynamics during prokaryotic cell division.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, CSIC, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, E-28040 Madrid, Spain. sonia@cib.csic.es
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huecas
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Andreu
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002455:Cell Division; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D017017:Methanococcus / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; C071525:FtsZ protein, Bacteria; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate