title: The bacterial cell division proteins FtsA and FtsZ self-organize into dynamic cytoskeletal patterns.
abstract: Bacterial cytokinesis is commonly initiated by the Z-ring, a cytoskeletal structure that assembles at the site of division. Its primary component is FtsZ, a tubulin superfamily GTPase, which is recruited to the membrane by the actin-related protein FtsA. Both proteins are required for the formation of the Z-ring, but if and how they influence each other's assembly dynamics is not known. Here, we reconstituted FtsA-dependent recruitment of FtsZ polymers to supported membranes, where both proteins self-organize into complex patterns, such as fast-moving filament bundles and chirally rotating rings. Using fluorescence microscopy and biochemical perturbations, we found that these large-scale rearrangements of FtsZ emerge from its polymerization dynamics and a dual, antagonistic role of FtsA: recruitment of FtsZ filaments to the membrane and negative regulation of FtsZ organization. Our findings provide a model for the initial steps of bacterial cell division and illustrate how dynamic polymers can self-organize into large-scale structures.
authors: Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Loose
authors: Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors: Timothy J
authors: TJ
authors: Mitchison
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002455:Cell Division; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D048168:Escherichia coli K12 / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D058105:Polymerization; D011485:Protein Binding
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C489310:FtsA protein, E coli; C071525:FtsZ protein, Bacteria