title: YeeV is an Escherichia coli toxin that inhibits cell division by targeting the cytoskeleton proteins, FtsZ and MreB.
abstract: Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems of free-living bacteria have recently demonstrated that these toxins inhibit cell growth by targeting essential functions of cellular metabolism. Here we show that YeeV toxin inhibits cell division, leads to a change in morphology and lysis of Escherichia coli cells. YeeV interacts with two essential cytoskeleton proteins, FtsZ and MreB. Purified YeeV inhibits both the GTPase activity and the GTP-dependent polymerization of FtsZ. YeeV also inhibits ATP-dependent polymerization of MreB. Truncated C-terminal deletions of YeeV result in elongation of cells, and a deletion of the first 15 amino acids from the N-terminus of YeeV caused lemon-shaped cell formation. The YeeV toxin is distinct from other well-studied toxins: it directs the binding of two cytoskeletal proteins and inhibits FtsZ and MreB simultaneously.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 679 Hoes lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Awano
authors.forename: Masayori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inouye
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D055503:Protein Multimerization / Q000187:drug effects; D017384:Sequence Deletion
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C071525:FtsZ protein, Bacteria; C557198:YeeV protein, E coli; C078473:MreB protein, E coli; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases