DivIVA is required for polar growth in the MreB-lacking rod-shaped actinomycete Corynebacterium glutamicum.
The actinomycete Corynebacterium glutamicum grows as rod-shaped cells by zonal peptidoglycan synthesis at the cell poles. In this bacterium, experimental depletion of the polar DivIVA protein (DivIVA(Cg)) resulted in the inhibition of polar growth; consequently, these cells exhibited a coccoid morphology. This result demonstrated that DivIVA is required for cell elongation and the acquisition of a rod shape. DivIVA from Streptomyces or Mycobacterium localized to the cell poles of DivIVA(Cg)-depleted C. glutamicum and restored polar peptidoglycan synthesis, in contrast to DivIVA proteins from Bacillus subtilis or Streptococcus pneumoniae, which localized at the septum of C. glutamicum. This confirmed that DivIVAs from actinomycetes are involved in polarized cell growth. DivIVA(Cg) localized at the septum after cell wall synthesis had started and the nucleoids had already segregated, suggesting that in C. glutamicum DivIVA is not involved in cell division or chromosome segregation.
Letek
Michal
M
Departamento de Biología Molecular, Area de Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain.
Ordóñez
Efrén
E
Vaquera
José
J
Margolin
William
W
Flärdh
Klas
K
Mateos
Luis M
LM
Gil
José A
JA
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics; D049108:Cell Enlargement; D016764:Cell Polarity / Q000235:genetics; D048230:Corynebacterium glutamicum / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C104636:DivIVA protein, bacteria