title: Wall proficient E. coli capable of sustained growth in the absence of the Z-ring division machine.
abstract: The peptidoglycan cell wall is a major protective external sheath in bacteria and a key target for antibiotics(1). Peptidoglycan is present in virtually all bacteria, suggesting that it was probably present in the last bacterial common ancestor(2). Cell wall expansion is orchestrated by cytoskeletal proteins related to actin (MreB) and tubulin (FtsZ)(3). FtsZ is a key essential player in a highly organized division machine that directs an invaginating annulus of cell wall peptidoglycan. The recent discovery that cell-wall-less bacteria (L-forms) can grow and divide independently of FtsZ(4,5), provided a means of generating an ftsZ null mutant of Escherichia coli. Remarkably, we have been able to isolate variants of E. coli that lack FtsZ but are capable of efficient growth in a walled state. Genetic analysis reveals that a combination of mutations is needed for this phenotype. Importantly, the suppressive mutations lead to a major cell shape change, from the normal cylindrical shape to a branched and bulging, ramified shape, which we call 'coli-flower'. The results highlight the versatility of bacterial cells and illustrate possible evolutionary routes leading to the emergence of specialized bacteria, such as pathogenic Chlamydia or aquatic Planctomycetes, that lack FtsZ but retain the cell wall(6-8).
authors: Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Medical School, Newcastle University, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4AX, UK.|Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, CNRS-Aix-Marseille University, 31 Chemin Joseph Aiguier, 13009 Marseille, France.
authors: Romain
authors: R
authors: Mercier
authors: Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Medical School, Newcastle University, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4AX, UK.
authors: Yoshikazu
authors: Y
authors: Kawai
authors: Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Medical School, Newcastle University, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4AX, UK.
authors: Jeff
authors: J
authors: Errington
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002455:Cell Division; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000172:deficiency*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; C071525:FtsZ protein, Bacteria; D010457:Peptidoglycan