title: Characterization of YmgF, a 72-residue inner membrane protein that associates with the Escherichia coli cell division machinery.
abstract: Formation of the Escherichia coli division septum is catalyzed by a number of essential proteins (named Fts) that assemble into a ring-like structure at the future division site. Many of these Fts proteins are intrinsic transmembrane proteins whose functions are largely unknown. In the present study, we attempted to identify a novel putative component(s) of the E. coli cell division machinery by searching for proteins that could interact with known Fts proteins. To do that, we used a bacterial two-hybrid system based on interaction-mediated reconstitution of a cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling cascade to perform a library screening in order to find putative partners of E. coli cell division protein FtsL. Here we report the characterization of YmgF, a 72-residue integral membrane protein of unknown function that was found to associate with many E. coli cell division proteins and to localize to the E. coli division septum in an FtsZ-, FtsA-, FtsQ-, and FtsN-dependent manner. Although YmgF was previously shown to be not essential for cell viability, we found that when overexpressed, YmgF was able to overcome the thermosensitive phenotype of the ftsQ1(Ts) mutation and restore its viability under low-osmolarity conditions. Our results suggest that YmgF might be a novel component of the E. coli cell division machinery.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, CNRS URA 2185, Unité de Biochimie des Interactions Macromoléculaires, Département de Biologie Structurale et Chimie, 25 rue du Dr Roux, Paris Cedex 15, France.
authors.forename: Gouzel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karimova
authors.forename: Carine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Robichon
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ladant
mesh_terms: D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001886:Bordetella pertussis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000166:cytology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D015723:Gene Library; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D010957:Plasmids; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C098711:FtsN protein, E coli; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C534769:YmgF protein, E coli; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases