title: A synthetic Escherichia coli system identifies a conserved origin tethering factor in Actinobacteria.
abstract: In eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells the establishment and maintenance of cell polarity is essential for numerous biological processes. In some bacterial species, the chromosome origins have been identified as molecular markers of cell polarity and polar chromosome anchoring factors have been identified, for example in Caulobacter crescentus. Although speculated, polar chromosome tethering factors have not been identified for Actinobacteria, to date. Here, using a minimal synthetic Escherichia coli system, biochemical and in vivo experiments, we provide evidence that Corynebacterium glutamicum cells tether the chromosome origins at the cell poles through direct physical interactions between the ParB-parS chromosomal centromere and the apical growth determinant DivIVA. The interaction between ParB and DivIVA proteins was also shown for other members of the Actinobacteria phylum, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Streptomyces coelicolor.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biochemistry, Zülpicher Str. 47, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Catriona
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Donovan
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sieger
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krämer
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bramkamp
mesh_terms: D039903:Actinobacteria / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016764:Cell Polarity; D002503:Centromere / Q000235:genetics*; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D048230:Corynebacterium glutamicum / Q000235:genetics*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D017354:Point Mutation
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C104636:DivIVA protein, bacteria; C052883:chromosome partition proteins, bacterial