title: Reconstitution of contractile FtsZ rings in liposomes.
abstract: FtsZ is a tubulin homolog and the major cytoskeletal protein in bacterial cell division. It assembles into the Z ring, which contains FtsZ and a dozen other division proteins, and constricts to divide the cell. We have constructed a membrane-targeted FtsZ (FtsZ-mts) by splicing an amphipathic helix to its C terminus. When mixed with lipid vesicles, FtsZ-mts was incorporated into the interior of some tubular vesicles. There it formed multiple Z rings that could move laterally in both directions along the length of the liposome and coalesce into brighter Z rings. Brighter Z rings produced visible constrictions in the liposome, suggesting that FtsZ itself can assemble the Z ring and generate a force. No other proteins were needed for assembly and force generation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710-3709, USA.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osawa
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Harold P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Erickson
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008081:Liposomes; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011485:Protein Binding; D021381:Protein Transport; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C065103:FtsA protein, Bacteria; C071525:FtsZ protein, Bacteria; D008081:Liposomes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins