title: The keepers of the ring: regulators of FtsZ assembly.
abstract: FtsZ, a GTPase distributed in the cytoplasm of most bacteria, is the major component of the machinery responsible for division (the divisome) in Escherichia coli. It interacts with additional proteins that contribute to its function forming a ring at the midcell that is essential to constrict the membrane. FtsZ is indirectly anchored to the membrane and it is prevented from polymerizing at locations where septation is undesired. Several properties of FtsZ are mediated by other proteins that function as keepers of the ring. ZipA and FtsA serve to anchor the ring, and together with a set of Zap proteins, they stabilize it. The MinCDE and SlmA proteins prevent the polymerization of FtsZ at sites other than the midcell. Finally, ClpP degrades FtsZ, an action prevented by ZipA. Many of the FtsZ keepers interact with FtsZ through a central hub located at its carboxy terminal end.
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional de Biotecnología - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), C/ Darwin 3, Madrid 28049, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ortiz
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional de Biotecnología - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), C/ Darwin 3, Madrid 28049, Spain.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Natale
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional de Biotecnología - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), C/ Darwin 3, Madrid 28049, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cueto
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional de Biotecnología - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CNB-CSIC), C/ Darwin 3, Madrid 28049, Spain mvicente@cnb.csic.es.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vicente
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D058105:Polymerization; D011485:Protein Binding; D055550:Protein Stability
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C071525:FtsZ protein, Bacteria
keywords: FtsZ-ring; bacterial division; central hub; divisome; septum position