1
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Dudek NK, Galaz-Montoya JG, Shi H, Mayer M, Danita C, Celis AI, Viehboeck T, Wu GH, Behr B, Bulgheresi S, Huang KC, Chiu W, Relman DA. Previously uncharacterized rectangular bacterial structures in the dolphin mouth. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2098. [PMID: 37055390 PMCID: PMC10102025 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37638-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Much remains to be explored regarding the diversity of uncultured, host-associated microbes. Here, we describe rectangular bacterial structures (RBSs) in the mouths of bottlenose dolphins. DNA staining revealed multiple paired bands within RBSs, suggesting the presence of cells dividing along the longitudinal axis. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and tomography showed parallel membrane-bound segments that are likely cells, encapsulated by an S-layer-like periodic surface covering. RBSs displayed unusual pilus-like appendages with bundles of threads splayed at the tips. We present multiple lines of evidence, including genomic DNA sequencing of micromanipulated RBSs, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and fluorescence in situ hybridization, suggesting that RBSs are bacterial and distinct from the genera Simonsiella and Conchiformibius (family Neisseriaceae), with which they share similar morphology and division patterning. Our findings highlight the diversity of novel microbial forms and lifestyles that await characterization using tools complementary to genomics such as microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha K Dudek
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
- Quantori, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | | | - Handuo Shi
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Megan Mayer
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Cristina Danita
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Arianna I Celis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Tobias Viehboeck
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, and Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gong-Her Wu
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Barry Behr
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Silvia Bulgheresi
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kerwyn Casey Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Wah Chiu
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - David A Relman
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
- Infectious Diseases Section, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA.
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2
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Nyongesa S, Weber PM, Bernet È, Pulido F, Nieves C, Nieckarz M, Delaby M, Viehboeck T, Krause N, Rivera-Millot A, Nakamura A, Vischer NOE, vanNieuwenhze M, Brun YV, Cava F, Bulgheresi S, Veyrier FJ. Evolution of longitudinal division in multicellular bacteria of the Neisseriaceae family. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4853. [PMID: 35995772 PMCID: PMC9395523 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32260-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rod-shaped bacteria typically elongate and divide by transverse fission. However, several bacterial species can form rod-shaped cells that divide longitudinally. Here, we study the evolution of cell shape and division mode within the family Neisseriaceae, which includes Gram-negative coccoid and rod-shaped species. In particular, bacteria of the genera Alysiella, Simonsiella and Conchiformibius, which can be found in the oral cavity of mammals, are multicellular and divide longitudinally. We use comparative genomics and ultrastructural microscopy to infer that longitudinal division within Neisseriaceae evolved from a rod-shaped ancestor. In multicellular longitudinally-dividing species, neighbouring cells within multicellular filaments are attached by their lateral peptidoglycan. In these bacteria, peptidoglycan insertion does not appear concentric, i.e. from the cell periphery to its centre, but as a medial sheet guillotining each cell. Finally, we identify genes and alleles associated with multicellularity and longitudinal division, including the acquisition of amidase-encoding gene amiC2, and amino acid changes in proteins including MreB and FtsA. Introduction of amiC2 and allelic substitution of mreB in a rod-shaped species that divides by transverse fission results in shorter cells with longer septa. Our work sheds light on the evolution of multicellularity and longitudinal division in bacteria, and suggests that members of the Neisseriaceae family may be good models to study these processes due to their morphological plasticity and genetic tractability. Rod-shaped bacteria typically elongate and divide by transverse fission, but a few species are known to divide longitudinally. Here, the authors use genomic, phylogenetic and microscopy techniques to shed light on the evolution of cell shape, multicellularity and division mode within the family Neisseriaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sammy Nyongesa
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Laval, QC, H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Philipp M Weber
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.,University of Vienna, Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ève Bernet
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Laval, QC, H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Francisco Pulido
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Laval, QC, H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Cecilia Nieves
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Laval, QC, H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Marta Nieckarz
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), Umeå University, Umeå, SE-90187, Sweden
| | - Marie Delaby
- Département de microbiologie, infectiologie et immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Tobias Viehboeck
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.,University of Vienna, Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution, Vienna, Austria.,Division of Microbial Ecology, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, , University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nicole Krause
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.,University of Vienna, Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alex Rivera-Millot
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Laval, QC, H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Arnaldo Nakamura
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Laval, QC, H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Norbert O E Vischer
- Bacterial Cell Biology & Physiology, Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Yves V Brun
- Département de microbiologie, infectiologie et immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Felipe Cava
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), Umeå University, Umeå, SE-90187, Sweden
| | - Silvia Bulgheresi
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Frédéric J Veyrier
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Laval, QC, H7V 1B7, Canada.
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3
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Wang J, Bulgheresi S, den Blaauwen T. The Longitudinal Dividing Bacterium Candidatus Thiosymbion Oneisti Has a Natural Temperature-Sensitive FtsZ Protein with Low GTPase Activity. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:3016. [PMID: 35328438 PMCID: PMC8953583 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
FtsZ, the bacterial tubulin-homolog, plays a central role in cell division and polymerizes into a ring-like structure at midcell to coordinate other cell division proteins. The rod-shaped gamma-proteobacterium Candidatus Thiosymbion oneisti has a medial discontinuous ellipsoidal "Z-ring." Ca. T. oneisti FtsZ shows temperature-sensitive characteristics when it is expressed in Escherichia coli, where it localizes at midcell. The overexpression of Ca. T. oneisti FtsZ interferes with cell division and results in filamentous cells. In addition, it forms ring- and barrel-like structures independently of E. coli FtsZ, which suggests that the difference in shape and size of the Ca. T. oneisti FtsZ ring is likely the result of its interaction with Z-ring organizing proteins. Similar to some temperature-sensitive alleles of E. coli FtsZ, Ca. T. oneisti FtsZ has a weak GTPase and does not polymerize in vitro. The temperature sensitivity of Ca. Thiosymbion oneisti FtsZ is likely an adaptation to the preferred temperature of less than 30 °C of its host, the nematode Laxus oneistus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinglan Wang
- Bacterial Cell Biology and Physiology, Swammerdam Institute for Life Science, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Silvia Bulgheresi
- Environmental Cell Biology, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Tanneke den Blaauwen
- Bacterial Cell Biology and Physiology, Swammerdam Institute for Life Science, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
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4
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Weber PM, Paredes GF, Viehboeck T, Pende N, Volland JM, Gros O, VanNieuwenhze M, Ott J, Bulgheresi S. FtsZ-mediated fission of a cuboid bacterial symbiont. iScience 2022; 25:103552. [PMID: 35059602 PMCID: PMC8760462 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Less than a handful of cuboid and squared cells have been described in nature, which makes them a rarity. Here, we show how Candidatus Thiosymbion cuboideus, a cube-like gammaproteobacterium, reproduces on the surface of marine free-living nematodes. Immunostaining of symbiont cells with an anti-fimbriae antibody revealed that they are host-polarized, as these appendages exclusively localized at the host-proximal (animal-attached) pole. Moreover, by applying a fluorescently labeled metabolic probe to track new cell wall insertion in vivo, we observed that the host-attached pole started septation before the distal one. Similarly, Ca. T. cuboideus cells immunostained with an anti-FtsZ antibody revealed a proximal-to-distal localization pattern of this tubulin homolog. Although FtsZ has been shown to arrange into squares in synthetically remodeled cuboid cells, here we show that FtsZ may also mediate the division of naturally occurring ones. This implies that, even in natural settings, membrane roundness is not required for FtsZ function. Ca. T. cuboideus cells are cuboid Septation is host oriented in Ca. T. cuboideus FtsZ localization pattern recapitulates that of new PG insertion FtsZ polymerizes into either straight or sharp-cornered filaments
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp M. Weber
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gabriela F. Paredes
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Tobias Viehboeck
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Nika Pende
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell Unit, Department of Microbiology, Institut Pasteur, 25-28 Rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Marie Volland
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- LRC Systems, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Olivier Gros
- C3MAG, UFR Des Sciences Exactes Et Naturelles, Université Des Antilles, BP 592, 97159 Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France
| | | | - Jörg Ott
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Limnology and Bio-Oceanography Unit, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Silvia Bulgheresi
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Corresponding author
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5
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Alcorlo M, Martínez-Caballero S, Molina R, Hermoso JA. Regulation of Lytic Machineries by the FtsEX Complex in the Bacterial Divisome. Subcell Biochem 2022; 99:285-315. [PMID: 36151380 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-00793-4_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The essential membrane complex FtsE/FtsX (FtsEX), belonging to the ABC transporter superfamily and widespread among bacteria, plays a relevant function in some crucial cell wall remodeling processes such as cell division, elongation, or sporulation. FtsEX plays a double role by recruiting proteins to the divisome apparatus and by regulating lytic activity of the cell wall hydrolases required for daughter cell separation. Interestingly, FtsEX does not act as a transporter but uses the ATPase activity of FtsE to mechanically transmit a signal from the cytosol, through the membrane, to the periplasm that activates the attached hydrolases. While the complete molecular details of such mechanism are not yet known, evidence has been recently reported that clarify essential aspects of this complex system. In this chapter we will present recent structural advances on this topic. The three-dimensional structure of FtsE, FtsX, and some of the lytic enzymes or their cognate regulators revealed an unexpected scenario in which a delicate set of intermolecular interactions, conserved among different bacterial genera, could be at the core of this regulatory mechanism providing exquisite control in both space and time of this central process to assist bacterial survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martín Alcorlo
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Institute of Physical Chemistry "Rocasolano", CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Siseth Martínez-Caballero
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Institute of Physical Chemistry "Rocasolano", CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Chemistry of Biomacromolecules, Universidade Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Rafael Molina
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Institute of Physical Chemistry "Rocasolano", CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan A Hermoso
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Institute of Physical Chemistry "Rocasolano", CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
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6
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Paredes GF, Viehboeck T, Lee R, Palatinszky M, Mausz MA, Reipert S, Schintlmeister A, Maier A, Volland JM, Hirschfeld C, Wagner M, Berry D, Markert S, Bulgheresi S, König L. Anaerobic Sulfur Oxidation Underlies Adaptation of a Chemosynthetic Symbiont to Oxic-Anoxic Interfaces. mSystems 2021; 6:e0118620. [PMID: 34058098 PMCID: PMC8269255 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01186-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemosynthetic symbioses occur worldwide in marine habitats, but comprehensive physiological studies of chemoautotrophic bacteria thriving on animals are scarce. Stilbonematinae are coated by thiotrophic Gammaproteobacteria. As these nematodes migrate through the redox zone, their ectosymbionts experience varying oxygen concentrations. However, nothing is known about how these variations affect their physiology. Here, by applying omics, Raman microspectroscopy, and stable isotope labeling, we investigated the effect of oxygen on "Candidatus Thiosymbion oneisti." Unexpectedly, sulfur oxidation genes were upregulated in anoxic relative to oxic conditions, but carbon fixation genes and incorporation of 13C-labeled bicarbonate were not. Instead, several genes involved in carbon fixation were upregulated under oxic conditions, together with genes involved in organic carbon assimilation, polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, and urea utilization. Furthermore, in the presence of oxygen, stress-related genes were upregulated together with vitamin biosynthesis genes likely necessary to withstand oxidative stress, and the symbiont appeared to proliferate less. Based on its physiological response to oxygen, we propose that "Ca. T. oneisti" may exploit anaerobic sulfur oxidation coupled to denitrification to proliferate in anoxic sand. However, the ectosymbiont would still profit from the oxygen available in superficial sand, as the energy-efficient aerobic respiration would facilitate carbon and nitrogen assimilation. IMPORTANCE Chemoautotrophic endosymbionts are famous for exploiting sulfur oxidization to feed marine organisms with fixed carbon. However, the physiology of thiotrophic bacteria thriving on the surface of animals (ectosymbionts) is less understood. One longstanding hypothesis posits that attachment to animals that migrate between reduced and oxic environments would boost sulfur oxidation, as the ectosymbionts would alternatively access sulfide and oxygen, the most favorable electron acceptor. Here, we investigated the effect of oxygen on the physiology of "Candidatus Thiosymbion oneisti," a gammaproteobacterium which lives attached to marine nematodes inhabiting shallow-water sand. Surprisingly, sulfur oxidation genes were upregulated under anoxic relative to oxic conditions. Furthermore, under anoxia, the ectosymbiont appeared to be less stressed and to proliferate more. We propose that animal-mediated access to oxygen, rather than enhancing sulfur oxidation, would facilitate assimilation of carbon and nitrogen by the ectosymbiont.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela F. Paredes
- University of Vienna, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tobias Viehboeck
- University of Vienna, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, Vienna, Austria
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Raymond Lee
- Washington State University, School of Biological Sciences, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Marton Palatinszky
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michaela A. Mausz
- University of Warwick, School of Life Sciences, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Siegfried Reipert
- University of Vienna, Core Facility Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research, Vienna, Austria
| | - Arno Schintlmeister
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Vienna, Austria
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Large-Instrument Facility for Environmental and Isotope Mass Spectrometry, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Maier
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Geosciences, Geography, and Astronomy, Department of Geography and Regional Research, Geoecology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jean-Marie Volland
- University of Vienna, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claudia Hirschfeld
- University of Greifswald, Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Michael Wagner
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Vienna, Austria
- Aalborg University, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - David Berry
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Vienna, Austria
- Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephanie Markert
- University of Greifswald, Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Silvia Bulgheresi
- University of Vienna, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lena König
- University of Vienna, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Environmental Cell Biology Group, Vienna, Austria
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7
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Wang J, Alvarez L, Bulgheresi S, Cava F, den Blaauwen T. PBP4 Is Likely Involved in Cell Division of the Longitudinally Dividing Bacterium Candidatus Thiosymbion Oneisti. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10030274. [PMID: 33803189 PMCID: PMC7999549 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10030274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptidoglycan (PG) is essential for bacterial survival and maintaining cell shape. The rod-shaped model bacterium Escherichia coli has a set of seven endopeptidases that remodel the PG during cell growth. The gamma proteobacterium Candidatus Thiosymbion oneisti is also rod-shaped and attaches to the cuticle of its nematode host by one pole. It widens and divides by longitudinal fission using the canonical proteins MreB and FtsZ. The PG layer of Ca. T. oneisti has an unusually high peptide cross-linkage of 67% but relatively short glycan chains with an average length of 12 disaccharides. Curiously, it has only two predicted endopeptidases, MepA and PBP4. Cellular localization of symbiont PBP4 by fluorescently labeled antibodies reveals its polar localization and its accumulation at the constriction sites, suggesting that PBP4 is involved in PG biosynthesis during septum formation. Isolated symbiont PBP4 protein shows a different selectivity for β-lactams compared to its homologue from E. coli. Bocillin-FL binding by PBP4 is activated by some β-lactams, suggesting the presence of an allosteric binding site. Overall, our data point to a role of PBP4 in PG cleavage during the longitudinal cell division and to a PG that might have been adapted to the symbiotic lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinglan Wang
- Bacterial Cell Biology & Physiology, Faculty of Science, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Laura Alvarez
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden; (L.A.); (F.C.)
| | - Silvia Bulgheresi
- Environmental Cell Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14 (UZA I), 1090 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Felipe Cava
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden; (L.A.); (F.C.)
| | - Tanneke den Blaauwen
- Bacterial Cell Biology & Physiology, Faculty of Science, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
- Correspondence:
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8
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Abstract
The FtsZ protein is a highly conserved bacterial tubulin homolog. In vivo, the functional form of FtsZ is the polymeric, ring-like structure (Z-ring) assembled at the future division site during cell division. While it is clear that the Z-ring plays an essential role in orchestrating cytokinesis, precisely what its functions are and how these functions are achieved remain elusive. In this article, we review what we have learned during the past decade about the Z-ring's structure, function, and dynamics, with a particular focus on insights generated by recent high-resolution imaging and single-molecule analyses. We suggest that the major function of the Z-ring is to govern nascent cell pole morphogenesis by directing the spatiotemporal distribution of septal cell wall remodeling enzymes through the Z-ring's GTP hydrolysis-dependent treadmilling dynamics. In this role, FtsZ functions in cell division as the counterpart of the cell shape-determining actin homolog MreB in cell elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan McQuillen
- Department of Biophysics & Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA; ,
| | - Jie Xiao
- Department of Biophysics & Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA; ,
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9
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Ramm B, Heermann T, Schwille P. The E. coli MinCDE system in the regulation of protein patterns and gradients. Cell Mol Life Sci 2019; 76:4245-4273. [PMID: 31317204 PMCID: PMC6803595 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03218-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Molecular self-organziation, also regarded as pattern formation, is crucial for the correct distribution of cellular content. The processes leading to spatiotemporal patterns often involve a multitude of molecules interacting in complex networks, so that only very few cellular pattern-forming systems can be regarded as well understood. Due to its compositional simplicity, the Escherichia coli MinCDE system has, thus, become a paradigm for protein pattern formation. This biological reaction diffusion system spatiotemporally positions the division machinery in E. coli and is closely related to ParA-type ATPases involved in most aspects of spatiotemporal organization in bacteria. The ATPase MinD and the ATPase-activating protein MinE self-organize on the membrane as a reaction matrix. In vivo, these two proteins typically oscillate from pole-to-pole, while in vitro they can form a variety of distinct patterns. MinC is a passenger protein supposedly operating as a downstream cue of the system, coupling it to the division machinery. The MinCDE system has helped to extract not only the principles underlying intracellular patterns, but also how they are shaped by cellular boundaries. Moreover, it serves as a model to investigate how patterns can confer information through specific and non-specific interactions with other molecules. Here, we review how the three Min proteins self-organize to form patterns, their response to geometric boundaries, and how these patterns can in turn induce patterns of other molecules, focusing primarily on experimental approaches and developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Ramm
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Tamara Heermann
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Petra Schwille
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152, Martinsried, Germany.
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10
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Weber PM, Moessel F, Paredes GF, Viehboeck T, Vischer NO, Bulgheresi S. A Bidimensional Segregation Mode Maintains Symbiont Chromosome Orientation toward Its Host. Curr Biol 2019; 29:3018-3028.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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11
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Exposure of the Host-Associated Microbiome to Nutrient-Rich Conditions May Lead to Dysbiosis and Disease Development-an Evolutionary Perspective. mBio 2019; 10:mBio.00355-19. [PMID: 31088923 PMCID: PMC6520449 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00355-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases, are dramatically increasing worldwide, but an understanding of the underlying factors is lacking. We here present an ecoevolutionary perspective on the emergence of inflammatory diseases. Inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases, are dramatically increasing worldwide, but an understanding of the underlying factors is lacking. We here present an ecoevolutionary perspective on the emergence of inflammatory diseases. We propose that adaptation has led to fine-tuned host-microbe interactions, which are maintained by secreted host metabolites nourishing the associated microbes. A constant elevation of nutrients in the gut environment leads to an increased activity and changed functionality of the microbiota, thus severely disturbing host-microbe interactions and leading to dysbiosis and disease development. In the past, starvation and pathogen infections, causing diarrhea, were common incidences that reset the gut bacterial community to its “human-specific-baseline.” However, these natural clearing mechanisms have been virtually eradicated in developed countries, allowing a constant uncontrolled growth of bacteria. This leads to an increase of bacterial products that stimulate the immune system and ultimately might initiate inflammatory reactions.
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12
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Kretschmer S, Harrington L, Schwille P. Reverse and forward engineering of protein pattern formation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0104. [PMID: 29632258 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Living systems employ protein pattern formation to regulate important life processes in space and time. Although pattern-forming protein networks have been identified in various prokaryotes and eukaryotes, their systematic experimental characterization is challenging owing to the complex environment of living cells. In turn, cell-free systems are ideally suited for this goal, as they offer defined molecular environments that can be precisely controlled and manipulated. Towards revealing the molecular basis of protein pattern formation, we outline two complementary approaches: the biochemical reverse engineering of reconstituted networks and the de novo design, or forward engineering, of artificial self-organizing systems. We first illustrate the reverse engineering approach by the example of the Escherichia coli Min system, a model system for protein self-organization based on the reversible and energy-dependent interaction of the ATPase MinD and its activating protein MinE with a lipid membrane. By reconstituting MinE mutants impaired in ATPase stimulation, we demonstrate how large-scale Min protein patterns are modulated by MinE activity and concentration. We then provide a perspective on the de novo design of self-organizing protein networks. Tightly integrated reverse and forward engineering approaches will be key to understanding and engineering the intriguing phenomenon of protein pattern formation.This article is part of the theme issue 'Self-organization in cell biology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Kretschmer
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Leon Harrington
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Petra Schwille
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
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13
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Wettmann L, Kruse K. The Min-protein oscillations in Escherichia coli: an example of self-organized cellular protein waves. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0111. [PMID: 29632263 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In the rod-shaped bacterium Escherichia coli, selection of the cell centre as the division site involves pole-to-pole oscillations of the proteins MinC, MinD and MinE. This spatio-temporal pattern emerges from interactions among the Min proteins and with the cytoplasmic membrane. Combining experimental studies in vivo and in vitro together with theoretical analysis has led to a fairly good understanding of Min-protein self-organization. In different geometries, the system can, in addition to standing waves, also produce travelling planar and spiral waves as well as coexisting stable stationary distributions. Today it stands as one of the best-studied examples of cellular self-organization of proteins.This article is part of the theme issue 'Self-organization in cell biology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Wettmann
- Theoretische Physik, Universität des Saarlandes, Postfach 151150, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Karsten Kruse
- Departments of Biochemistry and Theoretical Physics, NCCR Chemical Biology, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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14
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den Blaauwen T. Is Longitudinal Division in Rod-Shaped Bacteria a Matter of Swapping Axis? Front Microbiol 2018; 9:822. [PMID: 29867786 PMCID: PMC5952006 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The morphology of bacterial species shows a wealth of variation from star-shaped to spherical and rod- to spiral-shaped, to mention a few. Their mode of growth and division is also very diverse and flexible ranging from polar growth and lateral surface increase to midcell expansion and from perpendicular to longitudinal asymmetric division. Gammaproteobacterial rod-shaped species such as Escherchia coli divide perpendicularly and grow in length, whereas the genetically very similar rod-shaped symbiotic Thiosymbion divide longitudinally, and some species even divide asynchronously while growing in width. The ovococcal Streptococcus pneumoniae also lengthens and divides perpendicularly, yet it is genetically very different from E. coli. Are these differences as dramatic as is suggested by visual inspection, or can they all be achieved by subtle variation in the regulation of the same protein complexes that synthesize the cell envelope? Most bacteria rely on the cytoskeletal polymer FtsZ to organize cell division, but only a subset of species use the actin homolog MreB for length growth, although some of them are morphologically not that different. Poles are usually negative determinant for cell division. Curved cell poles can be inert or active with respect to peptidoglycan synthesis, can localize chemotaxis and other sensing proteins or other bacterial equipment, such as pili, depending on the species. But what is actually the definition of a pole? This review discusses the possible common denominators for growth and division of distinct and similar bacterial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanneke den Blaauwen
- Bacterial Cell Biology and Physiology, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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15
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Abstract
Symbiotic bacteria of the genus Thiosymbion attach to the surface of their nematode hosts using their poles and divide by longitudinal binary fission. A new study now sheds light on the molecular mechanisms that underlie this peculiar mode of proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Thanbichler
- Faculty of Biology & LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Max Planck Fellow Group "Prokaryotic Cell Biology", Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany.
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16
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Haupt A, Minc N. How cells sense their own shape - mechanisms to probe cell geometry and their implications in cellular organization and function. J Cell Sci 2018; 131:131/6/jcs214015. [PMID: 29581183 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.214015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells come in a variety of shapes that most often underlie their functions. Regulation of cell morphogenesis implies that there are mechanisms for shape sensing that still remain poorly appreciated. Global and local cell geometry features, such as aspect ratio, size or membrane curvature, may be probed by intracellular modules, such as the cytoskeleton, reaction-diffusion systems or molecular complexes. In multicellular tissues, cell shape emerges as an important means to transduce tissue-inherent chemical and mechanical cues into intracellular organization. One emergent paradigm is that cell-shape sensing is most often based upon mechanisms of self-organization, rather than determinism. Here, we review relevant work that has elucidated some of the core principles of how cellular geometry may be conveyed into spatial information to guide processes, such as polarity, signaling, morphogenesis and division-plane positioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armin Haupt
- Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS UMR7592 and Université Paris Diderot, 15 rue Hélène Brion, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Nicolas Minc
- Institut Jacques Monod, CNRS UMR7592 and Université Paris Diderot, 15 rue Hélène Brion, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
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17
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Pende N, Wang J, Weber PM, Verheul J, Kuru E, Rittmann SKMR, Leisch N, VanNieuwenhze MS, Brun YV, den Blaauwen T, Bulgheresi S. Host-Polarized Cell Growth in Animal Symbionts. Curr Biol 2018; 28:1039-1051.e5. [PMID: 29576473 PMCID: PMC6611161 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
To determine the fundamentals of cell growth, we must extend cell
biological studies to non-model organisms. Here, we investigated the growth
modes of the only two rods known to widen instead of elongating,
Candidatus Thiosymbion oneisti and Thiosymbion
hypermnestrae. These bacteria are attached by one pole to the surface of their
respective nematode hosts. By incubating live Ca. T. oneisti
and T. hypermnestrae with a peptidoglycan metabolic probe, we observed that the
insertion of new cell wall starts at the poles and proceeds inward,
concomitantly with FtsZ-based membrane constriction. Remarkably, in
Ca. T. hypermnestrae, the proximal, animal-attached pole
grows before the distal, free pole, indicating that the peptidoglycan synthesis
machinery is host oriented. Immunostaining of the symbionts with an antibody
against the actin homolog MreB revealed that it was arranged
medially—that is, parallel to the cell long axis—throughout the
symbiont life cycle. Given that depolymerization of MreB abolished newly
synthesized peptidoglycan insertion and impaired divisome assembly, we conclude
that MreB function is required for symbiont widening and division. In
conclusion, our data invoke a reassessment of the localization and function of
the bacterial actin homolog. Pende et al. show that cell growth is host oriented in two marine
nematode-attached bacteria. In contrast to what is observed in model rods, the
actin homolog MreB of the symbionts is arranged parallel to the cell long axis
throughout the cell cycle. This medial MreB ring is essential for symbiont
growth and division.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nika Pende
- University of Vienna, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Archaeal Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jinglan Wang
- Bacterial Cell Biology and Physiology Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Philipp M Weber
- University of Vienna, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Archaeal Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jolanda Verheul
- Bacterial Cell Biology and Physiology Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Erkin Kuru
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School NRB, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Simon K-M R Rittmann
- University of Vienna, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Archaeal Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Nikolaus Leisch
- University of Vienna, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Archaeal Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Yves V Brun
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Tanneke den Blaauwen
- Bacterial Cell Biology and Physiology Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Silvia Bulgheresi
- University of Vienna, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Archaeal Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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18
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Seah BKB, Schwaha T, Volland JM, Huettel B, Dubilier N, Gruber-Vodicka HR. Specificity in diversity: single origin of a widespread ciliate-bacteria symbiosis. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0764. [PMID: 28701560 PMCID: PMC5524500 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbioses between eukaryotes and sulfur-oxidizing (thiotrophic) bacteria have convergently evolved multiple times. Although well described in at least eight classes of metazoan animals, almost nothing is known about the evolution of thiotrophic symbioses in microbial eukaryotes (protists). In this study, we characterized the symbioses between mouthless marine ciliates of the genus Kentrophoros, and their thiotrophic bacteria, using comparative sequence analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Ciliate small-subunit rRNA sequences were obtained from 17 morphospecies collected in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, and symbiont sequences from 13 of these morphospecies. We discovered a new Kentrophoros morphotype where the symbiont-bearing surface is folded into pouch-like compartments, illustrating the variability of the basic body plan. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that all investigated Kentrophoros belonged to a single clade, despite the remarkable morphological diversity of these hosts. The symbionts were also monophyletic and belonged to a new clade within the Gammaproteobacteria, with no known cultured representatives. Each host morphospecies had a distinct symbiont phylotype, and statistical analyses revealed significant support for host–symbiont codiversification. Given that these symbioses were collected from two widely separated oceans, our results indicate that symbiotic associations in unicellular hosts can be highly specific and stable over long periods of evolutionary time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon K B Seah
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Thomas Schwaha
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jean-Marie Volland
- Department of Limnology and Bio-Oceanography, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Bruno Huettel
- Max Planck Genome Centre Cologne, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Cologne, Germany
| | - Nicole Dubilier
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany.,MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
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19
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Abstract
The last three decades have witnessed an explosion of discoveries about the mechanistic details of binary fission in model bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Caulobacter crescentus. This was made possible not only by advances in microscopy that helped answer questions about cell biology but also by clever genetic manipulations that directly and easily tested specific hypotheses. More recently, research using understudied organisms, or nonmodel systems, has revealed several alternate mechanistic strategies that bacteria use to divide and propagate. In this review, we highlight new findings and compare these strategies to cell division mechanisms elucidated in model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prahathees J Eswara
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620;
| | - Kumaran S Ramamurthi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-5132;
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20
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Abstract
The identification of the FtsZ ring by Bi and Lutkenhaus in 1991 was a defining moment for the field of bacterial cell division. Not only did the presence of the FtsZ ring provide fodder for the next 25 years of research, the application of a then cutting-edge approach-immunogold labeling of bacterial cells-inspired other investigators to apply similarly state-of-the-art technologies in their own work. These efforts have led to important advances in our understanding of the factors underlying assembly and maintenance of the division machinery. At the same time, significant questions about the mechanisms coordinating division with cell growth, DNA replication, and chromosome segregation remain. This review addresses the most prominent of these questions, setting the stage for the next 25 years.
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21
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Xiao J, Dufrêne YF. Optical and force nanoscopy in microbiology. Nat Microbiol 2016; 1:16186. [PMID: 27782138 PMCID: PMC5839876 DOI: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Microbial cells have developed sophisticated multicomponent structures and machineries to govern basic cellular processes, such as chromosome segregation, gene expression, cell division, mechanosensing, cell adhesion and biofilm formation. Because of the small cell sizes, subcellular structures have long been difficult to visualize using diffraction-limited light microscopy. During the last three decades, optical and force nanoscopy techniques have been developed to probe intracellular and extracellular structures with unprecedented resolutions, enabling researchers to study their organization, dynamics and interactions in individual cells, at the single-molecule level, from the inside out, and all the way up to cell-cell interactions in microbial communities. In this Review, we discuss the principles, advantages and limitations of the main optical and force nanoscopy techniques available in microbiology, and we highlight some outstanding questions that these new tools may help to answer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Xiao
- Department of Biophysics &Biophysical Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 725 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21212, USA
| | - Yves F Dufrêne
- Institute of Life Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud, 4-5, bte L7.07.06., B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Walloon Excellence in Life sciences and Biotechnology (WELBIO), Belgium
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22
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Leisch N, Pende N, Weber PM, Gruber-Vodicka HR, Verheul J, Vischer NOE, Abby SS, Geier B, den Blaauwen T, Bulgheresi S. Asynchronous division by non-ring FtsZ in the gammaproteobacterial symbiont of Robbea hypermnestra. Nat Microbiol 2016; 2:16182. [PMID: 27723729 DOI: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The reproduction mode of uncultivable microorganisms deserves investigation as it can largely diverge from conventional transverse binary fission. Here, we show that the rod-shaped gammaproteobacterium thriving on the surface of the Robbea hypermnestra nematode divides by FtsZ-based, non-synchronous invagination of its poles-that is, the host-attached and fimbriae-rich pole invaginates earlier than the distal one. We conclude that, in a naturally occurring animal symbiont, binary fission is host-oriented and does not require native FtsZ to polymerize into a ring at any septation stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaus Leisch
- Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Archaeal Biology and Ecogenomics Division, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.,Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, D-28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Nika Pende
- Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Archaeal Biology and Ecogenomics Division, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Philipp M Weber
- Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Archaeal Biology and Ecogenomics Division, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Jolanda Verheul
- Bacterial Cell Biology, Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Norbert O E Vischer
- Bacterial Cell Biology, Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sophie S Abby
- Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Archaeal Biology and Ecogenomics Division, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Benedikt Geier
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, D-28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Tanneke den Blaauwen
- Bacterial Cell Biology, Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Silvia Bulgheresi
- Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, Archaeal Biology and Ecogenomics Division, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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23
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Lyu Z, Coltharp C, Yang X, Xiao J. Influence of FtsZ GTPase activity and concentration on nanoscale Z-ring structure in vivo revealed by three-dimensional Superresolution imaging. Biopolymers 2016; 105:725-34. [PMID: 27310678 PMCID: PMC4958570 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Revised: 06/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
FtsZ is an essential bacterial cytoskeletal protein that assembles into a ring-like structure (Z-ring) at midcell to carry out cytokinesis. In vitro, FtsZ exhibits polymorphism in polymerizing into different forms of filaments based on its GTPase activity, concentration, and buffer condition. In vivo, the Z-ring appeared to be punctate and heterogeneously organized, although continuous, homogenous Z-ring structures have also been observed. Understanding how the Z-ring is organized in vivo is important because it provides a structural basis for the functional role of the Z-ring in cytokinesis. Here, we assess the effects of both GTPase activity and FtsZ concentration on the organization of the Z-ring in vivo using three-dimensional (3D) superresolution microscopy. We found that the Z-ring became more homogenous when assembled in the presence of a GTPase-deficient mutant, and upon overexpression of either wt or mutant FtsZ. These results suggest that the in vivo organization of the Z-ring is largely dependent on the intrinsic polymerization properties of FtsZ, which are significantly influenced by the GTPase activity and concentration of FtsZ. Our work provides a unifying theme to reconcile previous observations of different Z-ring structures, and supports a model in which the wt Z-ring comprises loosely associated, heterogeneously distributed FtsZ clusters. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 105: 725-734, 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixin Lyu
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Carla Coltharp
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Xinxing Yang
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jie Xiao
- Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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24
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Abstract
As much as vertical transmission of microbial symbionts requires their deep integration into the host reproductive and developmental biology, symbiotic lifestyle might profoundly affect bacterial growth and proliferation. This review describes the reproductive oddities displayed by bacteria associated - more or less intimately - with multicellular eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Bulgheresi
- Department of Ecogenetics & Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, Vienna, 1090, Austria
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25
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Abstract
Spiroplasma bacteria are highly motile bacteria with no cell wall and a helical morphology. This clade includes many vertically transmitted insect endosymbionts, including Spiroplasma poulsonii, a natural endosymbiont of Drosophila melanogaster. S. poulsonii bacteria are mainly found in the hemolymph of infected female flies and exhibit efficient vertical transmission from mother to offspring. As is the case for many facultative endosymbionts, S. poulsonii can manipulate the reproduction of its host; in particular, S. poulsonii induces male killing in Drosophila melanogaster. Here, we analyze the morphology of S. poulsonii obtained from the hemolymph of infected Drosophila. This endosymbiont was not only found as long helical filaments, as previously described, but was also found in a Y-shaped form. The use of electron microscopy, immunogold staining of the FtsZ protein, and antibiotic treatment unambiguously linked the Y shape of S. poulsonii to cell division. Observation of the Y shape in another Spiroplasma, S. citri, and anecdotic observations from the literature suggest that cell division by longitudinal scission might be prevalent in the Spiroplasma clade. Our study is the first to report the Y-shape mode of cell division in an endosymbiotic bacterium and adds Spiroplasma to the so far limited group of bacteria known to utilize this cell division mode. Most bacteria rely on binary fission, which involves elongation of the bacteria and DNA replication, followed by splitting into two parts. Examples of bacteria with a Y-shape longitudinal scission remain scarce. Here, we report that Spiroplasma poulsonii, an endosymbiotic bacterium living inside the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, divide with the longitudinal mode of cell division. Observations of the Y shape in another Spiroplasma, S. citri, suggest that this mode of scission might be prevalent in the Spiroplasma clade. Spiroplasma bacteria are wall-less bacteria with a distinctive helical shape, and these bacteria are always associated with arthropods, notably insects. Our study raises the hypothesis that this mode of cell division by longitudinal scission could be linked to the symbiotic mode of life of these bacteria.
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26
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Wu F, Halatek J, Reiter M, Kingma E, Frey E, Dekker C. Multistability and dynamic transitions of intracellular Min protein patterns. Mol Syst Biol 2016; 12:873. [PMID: 27279643 PMCID: PMC4923923 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20156724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Revised: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells owe their internal organization to self-organized protein patterns, which originate and adapt to growth and external stimuli via a process that is as complex as it is little understood. Here, we study the emergence, stability, and state transitions of multistable Min protein oscillation patterns in live Escherichia coli bacteria during growth up to defined large dimensions. De novo formation of patterns from homogenous starting conditions is observed and studied both experimentally and in simulations. A new theoretical approach is developed for probing pattern stability under perturbations. Quantitative experiments and simulations show that, once established, Min oscillations tolerate a large degree of intracellular heterogeneity, allowing distinctly different patterns to persist in different cells with the same geometry. Min patterns maintain their axes for hours in experiments, despite imperfections, expansion, and changes in cell shape during continuous cell growth. Transitions between multistable Min patterns are found to be rare events induced by strong intracellular perturbations. The instances of multistability studied here are the combined outcome of boundary growth and strongly nonlinear kinetics, which are characteristic of the reaction-diffusion patterns that pervade biology at many scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabai Wu
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Jacob Halatek
- Arnold-Sommerfeld-Center for Theoretical Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Matthias Reiter
- Arnold-Sommerfeld-Center for Theoretical Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Enzo Kingma
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Erwin Frey
- Arnold-Sommerfeld-Center for Theoretical Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Cees Dekker
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
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27
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Haeusser DP, Margolin W. Splitsville: structural and functional insights into the dynamic bacterial Z ring. Nat Rev Microbiol 2016; 14:305-19. [PMID: 27040757 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro.2016.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria must divide to increase in number and colonize their niche. Binary fission is the most widespread means of bacterial cell division, but even this relatively simple mechanism has many variations on a theme. In most bacteria, the tubulin homologue FtsZ assembles into a ring structure, termed the Z ring, at the site of cytokinesis and recruits additional proteins to form a large protein machine - the divisome - that spans the membrane. In this Review, we discuss current insights into the regulation of the assembly of the Z ring and how the divisome drives membrane invagination and septal cell wall growth while flexibly responding to various cellular inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Haeusser
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.,Biology Department, Canisius College, 2001 Main Street, Buffalo, New York 14208, USA
| | - William Margolin
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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28
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Zimmermann J, Wentrup C, Sadowski M, Blazejak A, Gruber-Vodicka HR, Kleiner M, Ott JA, Cronholm B, De Wit P, Erséus C, Dubilier N. Closely coupled evolutionary history of ecto- and endosymbionts from two distantly related animal phyla. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:3203-23. [PMID: 26826340 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2015] [Revised: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The level of integration between associated partners can range from ectosymbioses to extracellular and intracellular endosymbioses, and this range has been assumed to reflect a continuum from less intimate to evolutionarily highly stable associations. In this study, we examined the specificity and evolutionary history of marine symbioses in a group of closely related sulphur-oxidizing bacteria, called Candidatus Thiosymbion, that have established ecto- and endosymbioses with two distantly related animal phyla, Nematoda and Annelida. Intriguingly, in the ectosymbiotic associations of stilbonematine nematodes, we observed a high degree of congruence between symbiont and host phylogenies, based on their ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. In contrast, for the endosymbioses of gutless phallodriline annelids (oligochaetes), we found only a weak congruence between symbiont and host phylogenies, based on analyses of symbiont 16S rRNA genes and six host genetic markers. The much higher degree of congruence between nematodes and their ectosymbionts compared to those of annelids and their endosymbionts was confirmed by cophylogenetic analyses. These revealed 15 significant codivergence events between stilbonematine nematodes and their ectosymbionts, but only one event between gutless phallodrilines and their endosymbionts. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences from 50 Cand. Thiosymbion species revealed seven well-supported clades that contained both stilbonematine ectosymbionts and phallodriline endosymbionts. This closely coupled evolutionary history of marine ecto- and endosymbionts suggests that switches between symbiotic lifestyles and between the two host phyla occurred multiple times during the evolution of the Cand. Thiosymbion clade, and highlights the remarkable flexibility of these symbiotic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Zimmermann
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, D-28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Cecilia Wentrup
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, D-28359, Bremen, Germany.,Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Miriam Sadowski
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, D-28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Anna Blazejak
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, D-28359, Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Manuel Kleiner
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, D-28359, Bremen, Germany.,Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, 2500 University Drive, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Jörg A Ott
- Department of Limnology and Oceanography, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bodil Cronholm
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pierre De Wit
- Department of Marine Sciences, Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences Tjärnö, University of Gothenburg, Hättebäcksvägen 7, SE-452 96, Strömstad, Sweden
| | - Christer Erséus
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, SE-405 30, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Nicole Dubilier
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, D-28359, Bremen, Germany.,Faculty of Biology/Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bibliothekstrasse 1, D-28359, Bremen, Germany
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29
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Abstract
Bacterial cytokinesis is accomplished by the essential 'divisome' machinery. The most widely conserved divisome component, FtsZ, is a tubulin homolog that polymerizes into the 'FtsZ-ring' ('Z-ring'). Previous in vitro studies suggest that Z-ring contraction serves as a major constrictive force generator to limit the progression of cytokinesis. Here, we applied quantitative superresolution imaging to examine whether and how Z-ring contraction limits the rate of septum closure during cytokinesis in Escherichia coli cells. Surprisingly, septum closure rate was robust to substantial changes in all Z-ring properties proposed to be coupled to force generation: FtsZ's GTPase activity, Z-ring density, and the timing of Z-ring assembly and disassembly. Instead, the rate was limited by the activity of an essential cell wall synthesis enzyme and further modulated by a physical divisome-chromosome coupling. These results challenge a Z-ring-centric view of bacterial cytokinesis and identify cell wall synthesis and chromosome segregation as limiting processes of cytokinesis.
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30
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Abstract
Be it their pervasiveness, experimental tractability or their impact on human health and agriculture, nematode–bacterium associations are far-reaching research subjects. Although the omics hype did not spare them and helped reveal mechanisms of communication and exchange between the associated partners, a huge amount of knowledge still awaits to be harvested from their study. Here, I summarize and compare the kind of research that has been already performed on the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and on symbiotic nematodes, both marine and entomopathogenic ones. The emerging picture highlights how complementing genetic studies with ecological ones (in the case of well-established genetic model systems such as C. elegans) and vice versa (in the case of the yet uncultured Stilbonematinae) will deepen our understanding of how microbial symbioses evolved and how they impact our environment. Nematode–bacterium associations are major research subjects. Complementing genetic studies with ecological ones is necessary to boost our understanding of how microbial symbioses evolved and how they impact the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Bulgheresi
- Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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31
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Adams DW, Wu LJ, Errington J. Cell cycle regulation by the bacterial nucleoid. Curr Opin Microbiol 2015; 22:94-101. [PMID: 25460802 PMCID: PMC4726725 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2014.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2014] [Revised: 09/29/2014] [Accepted: 09/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Nucleoid occlusion prevents cell division over the bacterial chromosome. Nucleoid occlusion factors identified in B. subtilis, E. coli and S. aureus. Noc and SlmA are sequence specific DNA-binding proteins. They both act as spatial and temporal regulators of cell division. Using some basic general principles bacteria employ diverse regulatory mechanisms.
Division site selection presents a fundamental challenge to all organisms. Bacterial cells are small and the chromosome (nucleoid) often fills most of the cell volume. Thus, in order to maximise fitness and avoid damaging the genetic material, cell division must be tightly co-ordinated with chromosome replication and segregation. To achieve this, bacteria employ a number of different mechanisms to regulate division site selection. One such mechanism, termed nucleoid occlusion, allows the nucleoid to protect itself by acting as a template for nucleoid occlusion factors, which prevent Z-ring assembly over the DNA. These factors are sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins that exploit the precise organisation of the nucleoid, allowing them to act as both spatial and temporal regulators of bacterial cell division. The identification of proteins responsible for this process has provided a molecular understanding of nucleoid occlusion but it has also prompted the realisation that substantial levels of redundancy exist between the diverse systems that bacteria employ to ensure that division occurs in the right place, at the right time.
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Affiliation(s)
- David William Adams
- Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Baddiley-Clark Building, Medical School, Newcastle University, Richardson Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, United Kingdom
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32
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Wu F, van Schie BG, Keymer JE, Dekker C. Symmetry and scale orient Min protein patterns in shaped bacterial sculptures. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2015; 10:719-26. [PMID: 26098227 PMCID: PMC4966624 DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2015.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The boundary of a cell defines the shape and scale of its subcellular organization. However, the effects of the cell's spatial boundaries as well as the geometry sensing and scale adaptation of intracellular molecular networks remain largely unexplored. Here, we show that living bacterial cells can be 'sculpted' into defined shapes, such as squares and rectangles, which are used to explore the spatial adaptation of Min proteins that oscillate pole-to-pole in rod-shaped Escherichia coli to assist cell division. In a wide geometric parameter space, ranging from 2 × 1 × 1 to 11 × 6 × 1 μm(3), Min proteins exhibit versatile oscillation patterns, sustaining rotational, longitudinal, diagonal, stripe and even transversal modes. These patterns are found to directly capture the symmetry and scale of the cell boundary, and the Min concentration gradients scale with the cell size within a characteristic length range of 3-6 μm. Numerical simulations reveal that local microscopic Turing kinetics of Min proteins can yield global symmetry selection, gradient scaling and an adaptive range, when and only when facilitated by the three-dimensional confinement of the cell boundary. These findings cannot be explained by previous geometry-sensing models based on the longest distance, membrane area or curvature, and reveal that spatial boundaries can facilitate simple molecular interactions to result in far more versatile functions than previously understood.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Cees Dekker
- Correspondence should be addressed to Cees Dekker ()
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33
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Huang KC. Nanoengineering: Super symmetry in cell division. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2015; 10:655-656. [PMID: 26242999 DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2015.148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kerwyn Casey Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA, and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
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34
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Gray AN, Egan AJF, Van't Veer IL, Verheul J, Colavin A, Koumoutsi A, Biboy J, Altelaar AFM, Damen MJ, Huang KC, Simorre JP, Breukink E, den Blaauwen T, Typas A, Gross CA, Vollmer W. Coordination of peptidoglycan synthesis and outer membrane constriction during Escherichia coli cell division. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 25951518 PMCID: PMC4458516 DOI: 10.7554/elife.07118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
To maintain cellular structure and integrity during division, Gram-negative bacteria must carefully coordinate constriction of a tripartite cell envelope of inner membrane, peptidoglycan (PG), and outer membrane (OM). It has remained enigmatic how this is accomplished. Here, we show that envelope machines facilitating septal PG synthesis (PBP1B-LpoB complex) and OM constriction (Tol system) are physically and functionally coordinated via YbgF, renamed CpoB (Coordinator of PG synthesis and OM constriction, associated with PBP1B). CpoB localizes to the septum concurrent with PBP1B-LpoB and Tol at the onset of constriction, interacts with both complexes, and regulates PBP1B activity in response to Tol energy state. This coordination links PG synthesis with OM invagination and imparts a unique mode of bifunctional PG synthase regulation by selectively modulating PBP1B cross-linking activity. Coordination of the PBP1B and Tol machines by CpoB contributes to effective PBP1B function in vivo and maintenance of cell envelope integrity during division. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07118.001 All bacterial cells are surrounded by a membrane, which forms a protective barrier around the cell. Most bacteria also have a wall surrounding the membrane, which provides structural support. When a bacterial cell divides to produce two daughter cells, it produces a belt-like structure around the middle of the cell. This brings the membrane and cell wall on each side together to a ‘pinch-point’ until the two halves of the cell have been separated. This process must be carefully controlled to ensure that the cell does not burst open at any point. Some bacteria known as ‘Gram-negative’ bacteria have a second membrane on the other side of the cell wall. These cells divide in the same way as other bacteria, but the need to coordinate the movement of three structures instead of two makes it more complicated. Many proteins are known to be involved. For example, one group (or ‘complex’) of proteins—which includes a protein called PBP1B—helps to produce new cell wall material. Another complex called the Tol system provides the energy needed for the outer membrane to be pulled inwards towards the pinch point. However, it has not been clear how these complexes work together to allow the cell to divide. Here, Gray, Egan et al. searched for proteins that can interact with PBP1B during cell division in the Gram-negative bacterium E. coli. The experiments found that a protein called CpoB interacts with both PBP1B and the Tol system. CpoB is found in a band around the middle of the cell, and it regulates the activity of PBP1B in response to signals from the Tol system. If the activity of CpoB is disrupted, cell wall production and the movement of the outer membrane are no longer coordinated, and the membrane falls apart, leading to the death of the bacteria. Gray, Egan et al.'s findings show how the production of new cell wall material can be linked to the inwards movement of the outer membrane during cell division. The next challenges are to understand the precise details of how these processes are coordinated by CpoB and to find out whether CpoB also plays the same role in other bacteria. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07118.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew N Gray
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Alexander J F Egan
- Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Inge L Van't Veer
- Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jolanda Verheul
- Bacterial Cell Biology, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Alexandra Koumoutsi
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jacob Biboy
- Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - A F Maarten Altelaar
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mirjam J Damen
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Jean-Pierre Simorre
- Institut de Biologie Structurale, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Eefjan Breukink
- Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tanneke den Blaauwen
- Bacterial Cell Biology, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Athanasios Typas
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Carol A Gross
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Waldemar Vollmer
- Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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35
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Jiang C, Caccamo PD, Brun YV. Mechanisms of bacterial morphogenesis: evolutionary cell biology approaches provide new insights. Bioessays 2015; 37:413-25. [PMID: 25664446 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201400098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
How Darwin's "endless forms most beautiful" have evolved remains one of the most exciting questions in biology. The significant variety of bacterial shapes is most likely due to the specific advantages they confer with respect to the diverse environments they occupy. While our understanding of the mechanisms generating relatively simple shapes has improved tremendously in the last few years, the molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of complex shapes and the evolution of shape diversity are largely unknown. The emerging field of bacterial evolutionary cell biology provides a novel strategy to answer this question in a comparative phylogenetic framework. This relatively novel approach provides hypotheses and insights into cell biological mechanisms, such as morphogenesis, and their evolution that would have been difficult to obtain by studying only model organisms. We discuss the necessary steps, challenges, and impact of integrating "evolutionary thinking" into bacterial cell biology in the genomic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Jiang
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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36
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Zieske K, Schwille P. Reconstitution of self-organizing protein gradients as spatial cues in cell-free systems. eLife 2014; 3. [PMID: 25271375 PMCID: PMC4215534 DOI: 10.7554/elife.03949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2014] [Accepted: 09/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracellular protein gradients are significant determinants of spatial organization. However, little is known about how protein patterns are established, and how their positional information directs downstream processes. We have accomplished the reconstitution of a protein concentration gradient that directs the assembly of the cell division machinery in E.coli from the bottom-up. Reconstituting self-organized oscillations of MinCDE proteins in membrane-clad soft-polymer compartments, we demonstrate that distinct time-averaged protein concentration gradients are established. Our minimal system allows to study complex organizational principles, such as spatial control of division site placement by intracellular protein gradients, under simplified conditions. In particular, we demonstrate that FtsZ, which marks the cell division site in many bacteria, can be targeted to the middle of a cell-like compartment. Moreover, we show that compartment geometry plays a major role in Min gradient establishment, and provide evidence for a geometry-mediated mechanism to partition Min proteins during bacterial development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Zieske
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Munich, Germany
| | - Petra Schwille
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Munich, Germany
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37
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Size-independent symmetric division in extraordinarily long cells. Nat Commun 2014; 5:4803. [PMID: 25221974 PMCID: PMC4175584 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Two long-standing paradigms in biology are that cells belonging to the same population exhibit little deviation from their average size and that symmetric cell division is size limited. Here, ultrastructural, morphometric and immunocytochemical analyses reveal that two Gammaproteobacteria attached to the cuticle of the marine nematodes Eubostrichus fertilis and E. dianeae reproduce by constricting a single FtsZ ring at midcell despite being 45 μm and 120 μm long, respectively. In the crescent-shaped bacteria coating E. fertilis, symmetric FtsZ-based fission occurs in cells with lengths spanning one order of magnitude. In the E. dianeae symbiont, formation of a single functional FtsZ ring makes this the longest unicellular organism in which symmetric division has ever been observed. In conclusion, the reproduction modes of two extraordinarily long bacterial cells indicate that size is not the primary trigger of division and that yet unknown mechanisms time the localization of both DNA and the septum. Known mechanisms that determine symmetric division-plane positioning during cell division are unlikely to operate effectively over very long distances. Pende et al. show that extraordinarily long Gammaproteobacteria divide symmetrically despite reaching 120 microns in length
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38
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Hoffmann M, Schwarz US. Oscillations of Min-proteins in micropatterned environments: a three-dimensional particle-based stochastic simulation approach. SOFT MATTER 2014; 10:2388-2396. [PMID: 24622920 DOI: 10.1039/c3sm52251b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The Min-proteins from E. coli and other bacteria are the best characterized pattern forming system in cells and their spatiotemporal oscillations have been successfully reconstituted in vitro. Different mathematical and computational models have been used to better understand these oscillations. Here we use particle-based stochastic simulations to study Min-oscillations in patterned environments. We simulate a rectangular box of length 10 μm and width 5 μm that is filled with grid or checkerboard patterns of different patch sizes and distances. For this geometry, we find different stable oscillation patterns, typically pole-to-pole oscillations along the minor axis and striped oscillations along the major axis. The Min-oscillations can switch from one pattern to the other, either effected by changes in pattern geometry or stochastically. By automatic analysis of large-scale computer simulations, we show quantitatively how the perturbing effect of increased patch distance can be rescued by increased patch size. We also show that striped oscillations occur robustly in arbitrarily shaped filamentous E. coli cells. Our results highlight the robustness and variability of Min-oscillations, put limits on the effect of putative division sites, and provide a powerful computational framework for future studies of protein self-organization in patterned environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Hoffmann
- BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 267, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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39
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Monahan LG, Liew ATF, Bottomley AL, Harry EJ. Division site positioning in bacteria: one size does not fit all. Front Microbiol 2014; 5:19. [PMID: 24550892 PMCID: PMC3910319 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2013] [Accepted: 01/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial regulation of cell division in bacteria has been a focus of research for decades. It has been well studied in two model rod-shaped organisms, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, with the general belief that division site positioning occurs as a result of the combination of two negative regulatory systems, Min and nucleoid occlusion. These systems influence division by preventing the cytokinetic Z ring from forming anywhere other than midcell. However, evidence is accumulating for the existence of additional mechanisms that are involved in controlling Z ring positioning both in these organisms and in several other bacteria. In some cases the decision of where to divide is solved by variations on a common evolutionary theme, and in others completely different proteins and mechanisms are involved. Here we review the different ways bacteria solve the problem of finding the right place to divide. It appears that a one-size-fits-all model does not apply, and that individual species have adapted a division-site positioning mechanism that best suits their lifestyle, environmental niche and mode of growth to ensure equal partitioning of DNA for survival of the next generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh G Monahan
- The ithree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew T F Liew
- The ithree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Amy L Bottomley
- The ithree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Elizabeth J Harry
- The ithree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia
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40
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den Blaauwen T. Prokaryotic cell division: flexible and diverse. Curr Opin Microbiol 2013; 16:738-44. [PMID: 24084468 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2013.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2013] [Revised: 08/20/2013] [Accepted: 09/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria have different approaches to position the cell division initiating Z-ring at the correct moment in their cell division cycle. The subsequent maturation into a functional division machine occurs in vastly different species in two steps with appreciable time in between these. The function of this time delay is unclear, but may partly be explained by competition for Lipid-II between proteins involved in length growth that interact directly with the Z-ring early in the maturation phase and the proteins involved in septum synthesis. A second possible activity of the early Z-ring might be the monitoring of or the active involvement in DNA segregation through proteins such as ZapA and ZapB/MatP and their homologues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanneke den Blaauwen
- Bacterial Cell Biology, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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41
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Chiu SW, Roberts MAJ, Leake MC, Armitage JP. Positioning of chemosensory proteins and FtsZ through the Rhodobacter sphaeroides cell cycle. Mol Microbiol 2013; 90:322-37. [PMID: 23944351 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial chemotaxis depends on signalling through large protein complexes. Each cell must inherit a complex on division, suggesting some co-ordination with cell division. In Escherichia coli the membrane-spanning chemosensory complexes are polar and new static complexes form at pre-cytokinetic sites, ensuring positioning at the new pole after division and suggesting a role for the bacterial cytoskeleton. Rhodobacter sphaeroides has both membrane-associated and cytoplasmic, chromosome-associated chemosensory complexes. We followed the relative positions of the two chemosensory complexes, FtsZ and MreB in aerobic and in photoheterotrophic R. sphaeroides cells using fluorescence microscopy. FtsZ forms polar spots after cytokinesis, which redistribute to the midcell forming nodes from which FtsZ extends circumferentially to form the Z-ring. Membrane-associated chemosensory proteins form a number of dynamic unit-clusters with mature clusters containing about 1000 CheW(3) proteins. Individual clusters diffuse randomly within the membrane, accumulating at new poles after division but not colocalizing with either FtsZ or MreB. The cytoplasmic complex colocalizes with FtsZ at midcells in new-born cells. Before cytokinesis one complex moves to a daughter cell, followed by the second moving to the other cell. These data indicate that two homologous complexes use different mechanisms to ensure partitioning, and neither complex utilizes FtsZ or MreB for positioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Wen Chiu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
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42
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Shih YL, Zheng M. Spatial control of the cell division site by the Min system in Escherichia coli. Environ Microbiol 2013; 15:3229-39. [PMID: 23574354 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Revised: 03/05/2013] [Accepted: 03/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The Min system of Escherichia coli is involved in mediating placement of the cell division site at the midcell; this is accomplished through partitioning of the cell division inhibitor MinC to the cell poles to block aberrant polar division. The partitioning of MinC is achieved through its interaction with MinDE, which alternates its cellular distribution periodically between opposite cell poles throughout the cell cycle. This dynamic oscillation is the result of intricate molecular interactions occurring between the three Min proteins on the membrane in a spatiotemporal manner. In this minireview, we discuss recent developments in understanding the molecular mechanisms of the E. coli Min system from cellular, biochemical and biophysical perspectives. In addition, we propose a model that involves the balancing of different molecular interactions at different stages of the oscillation cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ling Shih
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, 128 Sec. 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei, 115, Taiwan; Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, 1 Sec. 4 Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 106, Taiwan
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