1
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Radler P, Loose M. A dynamic duo: Understanding the roles of FtsZ and FtsA for Escherichia coli cell division through in vitro approaches. Eur J Cell Biol 2024; 103:151380. [PMID: 38218128 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacteria divide by binary fission. The protein machine responsible for this process is the divisome, a transient assembly of more than 30 proteins in and on the surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. Together, they constrict the cell envelope and remodel the peptidoglycan layer to eventually split the cell into two. For Escherichia coli, most molecular players involved in this process have probably been identified, but obtaining the quantitative information needed for a mechanistic understanding can often not be achieved from experiments in vivo alone. Since the discovery of the Z-ring more than 30 years ago, in vitro reconstitution experiments have been crucial to shed light on molecular processes normally hidden in the complex environment of the living cell. In this review, we summarize how rebuilding the divisome from purified components - or at least parts of it - have been instrumental to obtain the detailed mechanistic understanding of the bacterial cell division machinery that we have today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Radler
- Institute for Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria; University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Wien, Austria.
| | - Martin Loose
- Institute for Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
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2
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Bhusari S, Hoffmann M, Herbeck-Engel P, Sankaran S, Wilhelm M, Del Campo A. Rheological behavior of Pluronic/Pluronic diacrylate hydrogels used for bacteria encapsulation in engineered living materials. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:1320-1332. [PMID: 38241053 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01119d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Pluronic (Plu) hydrogels mixed with variable fractions of Pluronic diacrylate (PluDA) have become popular matrices to encapsulate bacteria and control their growth in engineered living materials. Here we study the rheological response of 30 wt% Plu/PluDA hydrogels with PluDA fraction between 0 and 1. We quantify the range of viscoelastic properties that can be covered in this system by varying in the PluDA fraction. We present stress relaxation and creep-recovery experiments and describe the variation of the critical yield strain/stress, relaxation and recovery parameters of Plu/PluDA hydrogels as function of the covalent crosslinking degree using the Burgers and Weilbull models. The analyzed hydrogels present two stress relaxations with different timescales which can be tuned with the covalent crosslinking degree. We expect this study to help users of Plu/PluDA hydrogels to estimate the mechanical properties of their systems, and to correlate them with the behaviour of bacteria in future Plu/PluDA devices of similar composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shardul Bhusari
- INM-Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Campus D2 2, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
- Chemistry Department, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Maxi Hoffmann
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP), Engesserstraße 18, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Petra Herbeck-Engel
- INM-Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Campus D2 2, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
| | | | - Manfred Wilhelm
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP), Engesserstraße 18, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Aránzazu Del Campo
- INM-Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Campus D2 2, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
- Chemistry Department, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
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3
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Carrasco V, Berríos-Pastén C, Canales N, Órdenes A, Wilson CAM, Monasterio O. Bioinformatics, thermodynamics, and mechanical resistance of the FtsZ-ZipA complex of Escherichia coli supports a highly dynamic protein interaction in the divisome. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2023; 1867:130471. [PMID: 37806464 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2023.130471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
In most microorganisms, cell division is guided by the divisome, a multiprotein complex that assembles at the equator of the cell and is responsible for the synthesis of new cell wall material. FtsZ, the first protein to assemble into this complex forms protofilaments in the cytosol which are anchored to the inner side of the cytosolic membrane by the proteins ZipA and FtsA. FtsZ protofilaments generate a force that deforms the cytosolic membrane and may contribute to the constriction force that leads to the septation of the cell. It has not been studied yet how the membrane protein anchors respond to this force generated by FtsZ. Here we studied the effect of force in the FtsZ-ZipA interaction. We used SMD and obtained the distance to the transition state of key interacting amino acids and SASA of FtsZ and ZipA through the dissociation. The SMD mechanism was corroborated by ITC, and the thermodynamic parameters ΔG0, ΔH0 and ΔS0 were obtained. Finally, we used force spectroscopy by optical tweezers to determine the lifetime of the interaction and rupture probability and their dependence on force at single molecule level. We also obtained the transition state distance, and free energy of the interaction. With the gathering of structural, thermodynamic, kinetic and force parameters we conclude that interaction between FtsZ and ZipA proteins is consistence with the highly dynamic treadmilling process and at least seven ZipA molecules are required to bind to a FtsZ protofilaments to transduce a significant force.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Carrasco
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras, 3425 Ñuñoa, Región Metropolitana, Chile; Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Dr. Carlos Lorca Tobar 964, Independencia, Región Metropolitana, Santiago, Chile..
| | - Camilo Berríos-Pastén
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras, 3425 Ñuñoa, Región Metropolitana, Chile.
| | - Nicolás Canales
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras, 3425 Ñuñoa, Región Metropolitana, Chile.
| | - Alexis Órdenes
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras, 3425 Ñuñoa, Región Metropolitana, Chile
| | - Christian A M Wilson
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Dr. Carlos Lorca Tobar 964, Independencia, Región Metropolitana, Santiago, Chile..
| | - Octavio Monasterio
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras, 3425 Ñuñoa, Región Metropolitana, Chile.
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4
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Godino E, Danelon C. Gene-Directed FtsZ Ring Assembly Generates Constricted Liposomes with Stable Membrane Necks. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2023; 7:e2200172. [PMID: 36593513 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202200172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Mimicking bacterial cell division in well-defined cell-free systems has the potential to elucidate the minimal set of proteins required for cytoskeletal formation, membrane constriction, and final abscission. Membrane-anchored FtsZ polymers are often regarded as a sufficient system to realize this chain of events. By using purified FtsZ and its membrane-binding protein FtsA or the gain-of-function mutant FtsA* expressed in PURE (Protein synthesis Using Reconstituted Elements) from a DNA template, it is shown in this study that cytoskeletal structures are formed, and yield constricted liposomes exhibiting various morphologies. However, the resulting buds remain attached to the parental liposome by a narrow membrane neck. No division events can be monitored even after long-time tracking by fluorescence microscopy, nor when the osmolarity of the external solution is increased. The results provide evidence that reconstituted FtsA-FtsZ proto-rings coating the membrane necks are too stable to enable abscission. The prospect of combining a DNA-encoded FtsZ system with assisting mechanisms to achieve synthetic cell division is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Godino
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 2629HZ, The Netherlands
| | - Christophe Danelon
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 2629HZ, The Netherlands
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5
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Tahara YO, Miyata M. Visualization of Peptidoglycan Structures of Escherichia coli by Quick-Freeze Deep-Etch Electron Microscopy. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2646:299-307. [PMID: 36842124 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3060-0_24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Abstract
Peptidoglycan (PG) is an essential component of the bacterial cell wall that protects the cell from turgor pressure and maintains its shape. In diderm (gram-negative) bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, the PG layer is flexible with a thickness of a 2-6 nm, and its visualization is difficult due to the presence of the outer membrane. The quick-freeze deep-etch replica method has been widely used for the visualization of flexible structures in cell interior, such as cell organelles and membrane components. In this technique, a platinum replica on the surface of a specimen fixed by freezing is observed using a transmission electron microscope. In this chapter, we describe the application of this method for visualizing the E. coli PG layer. We expect that these methods will be useful for the visualization of the PG layer in diverse bacterial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhei O Tahara
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan. .,Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan. .,The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan. .,The OMU Advanced Research Center for Natural Science and Technology, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan.
| | - Makoto Miyata
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan.,Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan.,The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan.,The OMU Advanced Research Center for Natural Science and Technology, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
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6
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Corbin Goodman LC, Erickson HP. FtsZ at mid-cell is essential in Escherichia coli until the late stage of constriction. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2022; 168. [PMID: 35679326 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
There has been recent debate as to the source of constriction force during cell division. FtsZ can generate a constriction force on tubular membranes in vitro, suggesting it may generate the constriction force in vivo. However, another study showed that mutants of FtsZ did not affect the rate of constriction, whereas mutants of the PG assembly did, suggesting that PG assembly may push the constriction from the outside. Supporting this model, two groups found that cells that have initiated constriction can complete septation while the Z ring is poisoned with the FtsZ targeting antibiotic PC190723. PC19 arrests treadmilling but leaves FtsZ in place. We sought to determine if a fully assembled Z ring is necessary during constriction. To do this, we used a temperature-sensitive FtsZ mutant, FtsZ84. FtsZ84 supports cell division at 30 °C, but it disassembles from the Z ring within 1 min upon a temperature jump to 42 °C. Following the temperature jump we found that cells in early constriction stop constricting. Cells that had progressed to the later stage of division finished constriction without a Z ring. These results show that in Escherichia coli, an assembled Z ring is essential for constriction except in the final stage, contradicting the simplest interpretation of previous studies using PC19.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Harold P Erickson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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7
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Weaver AI, Alvarez L, Rosch KM, Ahmed A, Wang GS, vanNieuwenhze MS, Cava F, Dörr T. Lytic transglycosylases mitigate periplasmic crowding by degrading soluble cell wall turnover products. eLife 2022; 11:73178. [PMID: 35073258 PMCID: PMC8820737 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The peptidoglycan cell wall is a predominant structure of bacteria, determining cell shape and supporting survival in diverse conditions. Peptidoglycan is dynamic and requires regulated synthesis of new material, remodeling, and turnover – or autolysis – of old material. Despite exploitation of peptidoglycan synthesis as an antibiotic target, we lack a fundamental understanding of how peptidoglycan synthesis and autolysis intersect to maintain the cell wall. Here, we uncover a critical physiological role for a widely misunderstood class of autolytic enzymes, lytic transglycosylases (LTGs). We demonstrate that LTG activity is essential to survival by contributing to periplasmic processes upstream and independent of peptidoglycan recycling. Defects accumulate in Vibrio cholerae LTG mutants due to generally inadequate LTG activity, rather than absence of specific enzymes, and essential LTG activities are likely independent of protein-protein interactions, as heterologous expression of a non-native LTG rescues growth of a conditional LTG-null mutant. Lastly, we demonstrate that soluble, uncrosslinked, endopeptidase-dependent peptidoglycan chains, also detected in the wild-type, are enriched in LTG mutants, and that LTG mutants are hypersusceptible to the production of diverse periplasmic polymers. Collectively, our results suggest that LTGs prevent toxic crowding of the periplasm with synthesis-derived peptidoglycan polymers and, contrary to prevailing models, that this autolytic function can be temporally separate from peptidoglycan synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Alvarez
- Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University
| | - Kelly M Rosch
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University
| | - Asraa Ahmed
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University
| | | | | | - Felipe Cava
- The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University
| | - Tobias Dörr
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University
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8
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Salinas-Almaguer S, Mell M, Almendro-Vedia VG, Calero M, Robledo-Sánchez KCM, Ruiz-Suarez C, Alarcón T, Barrio RA, Hernández-Machado A, Monroy F. Membrane rigidity regulates E. coli proliferation rates. Sci Rep 2022; 12:933. [PMID: 35042922 PMCID: PMC8766614 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-04970-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Combining single cell experiments, population dynamics and theoretical methods of membrane mechanics, we put forward that the rate of cell proliferation in E. coli colonies can be regulated by modifiers of the mechanical properties of the bacterial membrane. Bacterial proliferation was modelled as mediated by cell division through a membrane constriction divisome based on FtsZ, a mechanically competent protein at elastic interaction against membrane rigidity. Using membrane fluctuation spectroscopy in the single cells, we revealed either membrane stiffening when considering hydrophobic long chain fatty substances, or membrane softening if short-chained hydrophilic molecules are used. Membrane stiffeners caused hindered growth under normal division in the microbial cultures, as expected for membrane rigidification. Membrane softeners, however, altered regular cell division causing persistent microbes that abnormally grow as long filamentous cells proliferating apparently faster. We invoke the concept of effective growth rate under the assumption of a heterogeneous population structure composed by distinguishable individuals with different FtsZ-content leading the possible forms of cell proliferation, from regular division in two normal daughters to continuous growing filamentation and budding. The results settle altogether into a master plot that captures a universal scaling between membrane rigidity and the divisional instability mediated by FtsZ at the onset of membrane constriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Salinas-Almaguer
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Unidad Monterrey, Vía del Conocimiento 201, PIIT, 66600, Apodaca, NL, Mexico
- Departamento de Química Física, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Complutense S/N, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Michael Mell
- Departamento de Química Física, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Complutense S/N, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Victor G Almendro-Vedia
- Departamento de Química Física, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Complutense S/N, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Macarena Calero
- Departamento de Química Física, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Complutense S/N, 28040, Madrid, Spain
- Translational Biophysics, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital Doce de Octubre (IMAS12), Av. Andalucía S/N, 28041, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Carlos Ruiz-Suarez
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Unidad Monterrey, Vía del Conocimiento 201, PIIT, 66600, Apodaca, NL, Mexico
| | - Tomás Alarcón
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
- Centre de Recerca Matemàtica, Edifici C, Campus de Bellaterra, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Matemàtiques, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Graduate School of Mathematics (BGSMath), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rafael A Barrio
- Instituto de Fisica, U.N.A.M., Apartado Postal 20-364, 01000, Mexico, D.F., Mexico
| | - Aurora Hernández-Machado
- Centre de Recerca Matemàtica, Edifici C, Campus de Bellaterra, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
- Departament Fisica de la Materia Condensada, Facultat de Fisica, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Francisco Monroy
- Departamento de Química Física, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Complutense S/N, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
- Translational Biophysics, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital Doce de Octubre (IMAS12), Av. Andalucía S/N, 28041, Madrid, Spain.
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9
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Bright R, Fernandes D, Wood J, Palms D, Burzava A, Ninan N, Brown T, Barker D, Vasilev K. Long-term antibacterial properties of a nanostructured titanium alloy surface: An in vitro study. Mater Today Bio 2021; 13:100176. [PMID: 34938990 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2021.100176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The demand for joint replacement and other orthopedic surgeries involving titanium implants is continuously increasing; however, 1%-2% of surgeries result in costly and devastating implant associated infections (IAIs). Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are two common pathogens known to colonise implants, leading to serious complications. Bioinspired surfaces with spike-like nanotopography have previously been shown to kill bacteria upon contact; however, the longer-term potential of such surfaces to prevent or delay biofilm formation is unclear. Hence, we monitored biofilm formation on control and nanostructured titanium disc surfaces over 21 days following inoculation with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. We found a consistent 2-log or higher reduction in live bacteria throughout the time course for both bacteria. The biovolume on nanostructured discs was also significantly lower than control discs at all time points for both bacteria. Analysis of the biovolume revealed that for the nanostructured surface, bacteria was killed not just on the surface, but at locations above the surface. Interestingly, pockets of bacterial regrowth on top of the biomass occurred in both bacterial species, however this was more pronounced for S. aureus cultures after 21 days. We found that the nanostructured surface showed antibacterial properties throughout this longitudinal study. To our knowledge this is the first in vitro study to show reduction in the viability of bacterial colonisation on a nanostructured surface over a clinically relevant time frame, providing potential to reduce the likelihood of implant associated infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Bright
- Academic Unit of STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, 5095, South Australia, Australia
| | - Daniel Fernandes
- Academic Unit of STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, 5095, South Australia, Australia
| | - Jonathan Wood
- Academic Unit of STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, 5095, South Australia, Australia
| | - Dennis Palms
- Academic Unit of STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, 5095, South Australia, Australia
| | - Anouck Burzava
- Academic Unit of STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, 5095, South Australia, Australia
| | - Neethu Ninan
- Academic Unit of STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, 5095, South Australia, Australia
| | - Toby Brown
- Corin Australia, Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
| | - Dan Barker
- Corin Australia, Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
| | - Krasimir Vasilev
- Academic Unit of STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, 5095, South Australia, Australia
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10
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Abstract
Decades of research, much of it in Escherichia coli, have yielded a wealth of insight into bacterial cell division. Here, we provide an overview of the E. coli division machinery with an emphasis on recent findings. We begin with a short historical perspective into the discovery of FtsZ, the tubulin homolog that is essential for division in bacteria and archaea. We then discuss assembly of the divisome, an FtsZ-dependent multiprotein platform, at the midcell septal site. Not simply a scaffold, the dynamic properties of polymeric FtsZ ensure the efficient and uniform synthesis of septal peptidoglycan. Next, we describe the remodeling of the cell wall, invagination of the cell envelope, and disassembly of the division apparatus culminating in scission of the mother cell into two daughter cells. We conclude this review by highlighting some of the open questions in the cell division field, emphasizing that much remains to be discovered, even in an organism as extensively studied as E. coli.
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11
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Ramirez-Diaz DA, Merino-Salomón A, Meyer F, Heymann M, Rivas G, Bramkamp M, Schwille P. FtsZ induces membrane deformations via torsional stress upon GTP hydrolysis. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3310. [PMID: 34083531 PMCID: PMC8175707 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23387-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
FtsZ is a key component in bacterial cell division, being the primary protein of the presumably contractile Z ring. In vivo and in vitro, it shows two distinctive features that could so far, however, not be mechanistically linked: self-organization into directionally treadmilling vortices on solid supported membranes, and shape deformation of flexible liposomes. In cells, circumferential treadmilling of FtsZ was shown to recruit septum-building enzymes, but an active force production remains elusive. To gain mechanistic understanding of FtsZ dependent membrane deformations and constriction, we design an in vitro assay based on soft lipid tubes pulled from FtsZ decorated giant lipid vesicles (GUVs) by optical tweezers. FtsZ filaments actively transform these tubes into spring-like structures, where GTPase activity promotes spring compression. Operating the optical tweezers in lateral vibration mode and assigning spring constants to FtsZ coated tubes, the directional forces that FtsZ-YFP-mts rings exert upon GTP hydrolysis can be estimated to be in the pN range. They are sufficient to induce membrane budding with constricting necks on both, giant vesicles and E.coli cells devoid of their cell walls. We hypothesize that these forces result from torsional stress in a GTPase activity dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego A Ramirez-Diaz
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
- Graduate School for Quantitative Biosciences (QBM), Ludwig-Maximillians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Adrián Merino-Salomón
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Molecular Life Sciences (IMPRS-LS), Munich, Germany
| | - Fabian Meyer
- Institute of General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-Unversity, Kiel, Germany
| | - Michael Heymann
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Germán Rivas
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marc Bramkamp
- Institute of General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-Unversity, Kiel, Germany
| | - Petra Schwille
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany.
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12
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Erickson HP. How Teichoic Acids Could Support a Periplasm in Gram-Positive Bacteria, and Let Cell Division Cheat Turgor Pressure. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:664704. [PMID: 34040598 PMCID: PMC8141598 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.664704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The cytoplasm of bacteria is maintained at a higher osmolality than the growth medium, which generates a turgor pressure. The cell membrane (CM) cannot support a large turgor, so there are two possibilities for transferring the pressure to the peptidoglycan cell wall (PGW): (1) the CM could be pressed directly against the PGW, or (2) the CM could be separated from the PGW by a periplasmic space that is isoosmotic with the cytoplasm. There is strong evidence for gram-negative bacteria that a periplasm exists and is isoosmotic with the cytoplasm. No comparable studies have been done for gram-positive bacteria. Here I suggest that a periplasmic space is probably essential in order for the periplasmic proteins to function, including especially the PBPs that remodel the peptidoglycan wall. I then present a semi-quantitative analysis of how teichoic acids could support a periplasm that is isoosmotic with the cytoplasm. The fixed anionic charge density of teichoic acids in the periplasm is ∼0.5 M, which would bring in ∼0.5 M Na+ neutralizing ions. This approximately balances the excess osmolality of the cytoplasm that would produce a turgor pressure of 19 atm. The 0.5 M fixed charge density is similar to that of proteoglycans in articular cartilage, suggesting a comparability ability to support pressure. An isoosmotic periplasm would be especially important for cell division, since it would allow CM constriction and PGW synthesis to avoid turgor pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold P Erickson
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
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13
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Cell division in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii relies on two FtsZ proteins with distinct functions in division ring assembly and constriction. Nat Microbiol 2021; 6:594-605. [PMID: 33903747 PMCID: PMC7611241 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-021-00894-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
In bacteria, the tubulin homologue FtsZ assembles a cytokinetic ring, termed the Z ring, and plays a key role in the machinery that constricts to divide the cells. Many archaea encode two FtsZ proteins from distinct families, FtsZ1 and FtsZ2, with previously unclear functions. Here, we show that Haloferax volcanii cannot divide properly without either or both FtsZ proteins, but DNA replication continues and cells proliferate in alternative ways, such as blebbing and fragmentation, via remarkable envelope plasticity. FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 colocalize to form the dynamic division ring. However, FtsZ1 can assemble rings independent of FtsZ2, and stabilizes FtsZ2 in the ring, whereas FtsZ2 functions primarily in the constriction mechanism. FtsZ1 also influenced cell shape, suggesting it forms a hub-like platform at midcell for the assembly of shape-related systems too. Both FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 are widespread in archaea with a single S-layer envelope, but archaea with a pseudomurein wall and division septum only have FtsZ1. FtsZ1 is therefore likely to provide a fundamental recruitment role in diverse archaea, and FtsZ2 is required for constriction of a flexible S-layer envelope, where an internal constriction force might dominate the division mechanism, in contrast with the single-FtsZ bacteria and archaea that divide primarily by wall ingrowth.
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14
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Goodson HV, Kelley JB, Brawley SH. Cytoskeletal diversification across 1 billion years: What red algae can teach us about the cytoskeleton, and vice versa. Bioessays 2021; 43:e2000278. [PMID: 33797088 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The cytoskeleton has a central role in eukaryotic biology, enabling cells to organize internally, polarize, and translocate. Studying cytoskeletal machinery across the tree of life can identify common elements, illuminate fundamental mechanisms, and provide insight into processes specific to less-characterized organisms. Red algae represent an ancient lineage that is diverse, ecologically significant, and biomedically relevant. Recent genomic analysis shows that red algae have a surprising paucity of cytoskeletal elements, particularly molecular motors. Here, we review the genomic and cell biological evidence and propose testable models of how red algal cells might perform processes including cell motility, cytokinesis, intracellular transport, and secretion, given their reduced cytoskeletons. In addition to enhancing understanding of red algae and lineages that evolved from red algal endosymbioses (e.g., apicomplexan parasites), these ideas may also provide insight into cytoskeletal processes in animal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly V Goodson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Joshua B Kelley
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
| | - Susan H Brawley
- School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
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15
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Pelletier JF, Sun L, Wise KS, Assad-Garcia N, Karas BJ, Deerinck TJ, Ellisman MH, Mershin A, Gershenfeld N, Chuang RY, Glass JI, Strychalski EA. Genetic requirements for cell division in a genomically minimal cell. Cell 2021; 184:2430-2440.e16. [PMID: 33784496 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Genomically minimal cells, such as JCVI-syn3.0, offer a platform to clarify genes underlying core physiological processes. Although this minimal cell includes genes essential for population growth, the physiology of its single cells remained uncharacterized. To investigate striking morphological variation in JCVI-syn3.0 cells, we present an approach to characterize cell propagation and determine genes affecting cell morphology. Microfluidic chemostats allowed observation of intrinsic cell dynamics that result in irregular morphologies. A genome with 19 genes not retained in JCVI-syn3.0 generated JCVI-syn3A, which presents morphology similar to that of JCVI-syn1.0. We further identified seven of these 19 genes, including two known cell division genes, ftsZ and sepF, a hydrolase of unknown substrate, and four genes that encode membrane-associated proteins of unknown function, which are required together to restore a phenotype similar to that of JCVI-syn1.0. This result emphasizes the polygenic nature of cell division and morphology in a genomically minimal cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Pelletier
- Center for Bits and Atoms, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
| | - Lijie Sun
- J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Kim S Wise
- J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | - Bogumil J Karas
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Thomas J Deerinck
- National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Mark H Ellisman
- National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Andreas Mershin
- Center for Bits and Atoms, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Neil Gershenfeld
- Center for Bits and Atoms, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - John I Glass
- J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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16
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Simulations of Proposed Mechanisms of FtsZ-Driven Cell Constriction. J Bacteriol 2021; 203:JB.00576-20. [PMID: 33199285 PMCID: PMC7811198 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00576-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
FtsZ is thought to generate constrictive force to divide the cell, possibly via one of two predominant models in the field. In one, FtsZ filaments overlap to form complete rings which constrict as filaments slide past each other to maximize lateral contact. To divide, bacteria must constrict their membranes against significant force from turgor pressure. A tubulin homolog, FtsZ, is thought to drive constriction, but how FtsZ filaments might generate constrictive force in the absence of motor proteins is not well understood. There are two predominant models in the field. In one, FtsZ filaments overlap to form complete rings around the circumference of the cell, and attractive forces cause filaments to slide past each other to maximize lateral contact. In the other, filaments exert force on the membrane by a GTP-hydrolysis-induced switch in conformation from straight to bent. Here, we developed software, ZCONSTRICT, for quantitative three-dimensional (3D) simulations of Gram-negative bacterial cell division to test these two models and identify critical conditions required for them to work. We find that the avidity of any kind of lateral interactions quickly halts the sliding of filaments, so a mechanism such as depolymerization or treadmilling is required to sustain constriction by filament sliding. For filament bending, we find that a mechanism such as the presence of a rigid linker is required to constrain bending to within the division plane and maintain the distance observed in vivo between the filaments and the membrane. Of these two models, only the filament bending model is consistent with our lab’s recent observation of constriction associated with a single, short FtsZ filament. IMPORTANCE FtsZ is thought to generate constrictive force to divide the cell, possibly via one of two predominant models in the field. In one, FtsZ filaments overlap to form complete rings which constrict as filaments slide past each other to maximize lateral contact. In the other, filaments exert force on the membrane by switching conformation from straight to bent. Here, we developed software, ZCONSTRICT, for three-dimensional (3D) simulations to test these two models. We find that a mechanism such as depolymerization or treadmilling are required to sustain constriction by filament sliding. For filament bending, we find that a mechanism that constrains bending to within the division plane is required to maintain the distance observed in vivo between the filaments and the membrane.
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17
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Juma A, Lemoine P, Simpson ABJ, Murray J, O'Hagan BMG, Naughton PJ, Dooley JG, Banat IM. Microscopic Investigation of the Combined Use of Antibiotics and Biosurfactants on Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1477. [PMID: 32733412 PMCID: PMC7358407 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
One current strategy to deal with the serious issue of antibiotic resistance is to use biosurfactants, weak antimicrobials in their own right, with antibiotics in order to extend the efficacy of antibiotics. Although an adjuvant effect has been observed, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. To investigate the nature of the antibiotic and biosurfactant interaction, we undertook a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) microscopic study of the effects of the tetracycline antibiotic, combined with sophorolipid and rhamnolipid biosurfactants, on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using tetracycline concentrations below and above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Control and treated bacterial samples were prepared with an immersion technique by adsorbing the bacteria onto glass substrates grafted with the poly-cationic polymer polyethyleneimine. Bacterial surface morphology, hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface characters as well as the local bacterial cell stiffness were measured following combined antibiotic and biosurfactant treatment. The sophorolipid biosurfactant stands alone insofar as, when used with the antibiotic at sub-MIC concentration, it resulted in bacterial morphological changes, larger diameters (from 758 ± 75 to 1276 ± 220 nm, p-value = 10-4) as well as increased bacterial core stiffness (from 205 ± 46 to 396 ± 66 mN/m, p-value = 5 × 10-5). This investigation demonstrates that such combination of microscopic analysis can give useful information which could complement biological assays to understand the mechanisms of synergy between antibiotics and bioactive molecules such as biosurfactants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abulaziz Juma
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick Lemoine
- School of Engineering, Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), Ulster University, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom
| | - Alistair B J Simpson
- School of Engineering, Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), Ulster University, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom
| | - Jason Murray
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, United Kingdom
| | - Barry M G O'Hagan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick J Naughton
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, United Kingdom
| | - James G Dooley
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, United Kingdom
| | - Ibrahim M Banat
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, United Kingdom
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18
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Silber N, Matos de Opitz CL, Mayer C, Sass P. Cell division protein FtsZ: from structure and mechanism to antibiotic target. Future Microbiol 2020; 15:801-831. [DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2019-0348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance to virtually all clinically applied antibiotic classes severely limits the available options to treat bacterial infections. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop and evaluate new antibiotics and targets with resistance-breaking properties. Bacterial cell division has emerged as a new antibiotic target pathway to counteract multidrug-resistant pathogens. New approaches in antibiotic discovery and bacterial cell biology helped to identify compounds that either directly interact with the major cell division protein FtsZ, thereby perturbing the function and dynamics of the cell division machinery, or affect the structural integrity of FtsZ by inducing its degradation. The impressive antimicrobial activities and resistance-breaking properties of certain compounds validate the inhibition of bacterial cell division as a promising strategy for antibiotic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Silber
- Department of Microbial Bioactive Compounds, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology & Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Cruz L Matos de Opitz
- Department of Microbial Bioactive Compounds, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology & Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Christian Mayer
- Department of Microbial Bioactive Compounds, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology & Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Peter Sass
- Department of Microbial Bioactive Compounds, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology & Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen 72076, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
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19
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Tulum I, Tahara YO, Miyata M. Peptidoglycan layer and disruption processes in Bacillus subtilis cells visualized using quick-freeze, deep-etch electron microscopy. Microscopy (Oxf) 2020; 68:441-449. [PMID: 31690940 DOI: 10.1093/jmicro/dfz033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptidoglycan, which is the main component of the bacterial cell wall, is a heterogeneous polymer of glycan strands cross-linked with short peptides and is synthesized in cooperation with the cell division cycle. Although it plays a critical role in bacterial survival, its architecture is not well understood. Herein, we visualized the architecture of the peptidoglycan surface in Bacillus subtilis at the nanometer resolution, using quick-freeze, deep-etch electron microscopy (EM). Filamentous structures were observed on the entire surface of the cell, where filaments about 11 nm wide formed concentric circles on cell poles, filaments about 13 nm wide formed a circumferential mesh-like structure on the cylindrical part and a 'piecrust' structure was observed at the boundary. When growing cells were treated with lysozyme, the entire cell mass migrated to one side and came out from the cell envelope. Fluorescence labeling showed that lysozyme preferentially bound to a cell pole and cell division site, where the peptidoglycan synthesis was not complete. Ruffling of surface structures was observed during EM. When cells were treated with penicillin, the cell mass came out from a cleft around the cell division site. Outward curvature of the protoplast at the cleft seen using EM suggested that turgor pressure was applied as the peptidoglycan was not damaged at other positions. When muropeptides were depleted, surface filaments were lost while the rod shape of the cell was maintained. These changes can be explained on the basis of the working points of the chemical structure of peptidoglycan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isil Tulum
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka 558-8585, Japan.,The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka City University, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Yuhei O Tahara
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka 558-8585, Japan.,The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka City University, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Makoto Miyata
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka 558-8585, Japan.,The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka City University, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
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20
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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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21
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Wang N, Bian L, Ma X, Meng Y, Chen CS, Rahman MU, Zhang T, Li Z, Wang P, Chen Y. Assembly properties of the bacterial tubulin homolog FtsZ from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:16309-16319. [PMID: 31519752 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.009621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The tubulin homolog FtsZ is the major cytoskeletal protein in the bacterial cell division machinery, conserved in almost all bacteria, archaea, and chloroplasts. Bacterial FtsZ assembles spontaneously into single protofilaments, sheets, and bundles in vitro, and it also accumulates at the site of division early during cell division, where it forms a dynamic protein complex, the contractile ring or Z-ring. The biochemical properties of FtsZ proteins from many bacteria have been studied, but comparable insights into FtsZs from cyanobacteria are limited. Here, using EM and light-scattering assays, we studied the biochemical and assembly properties of SyFtsZ, the FtsZ protein from the cyanobacterial strain Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. SyFtsZ had a slow GTPase activity of ∼0.4 GTP/FtsZ molecule/min and assembled into thick, straight protofilament bundles and curved bundles, designated toroids. The assembly of SyFtsZ in the presence of GTP occurred in two stages. The first stage consisted of the assembly of single-stranded straight protofilaments and opened circles; in the second stage, the protofilaments associated into straight protofilament bundles and toroids. In addition to these assemblies, we also observed highly curved oligomers and minirings after GTP hydrolysis or in the presence of excess GDP. The three types of protofilaments of SyFtsZ observed here provide support for the hypothesis that a constriction force due to curved protofilaments bends the membrane. In summary, our findings indicate that, unlike other bacterial FtsZ, SyFtsZ assembles into thick protofilament bundles. This bundling is similar to that of chloroplast FtsZ, consistent with its origin in cyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Wang
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Li Bian
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Xueqin Ma
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Yufeng Meng
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Cyndi S Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710
| | - Mujeeb Ur Rahman
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Tingting Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Zhe Li
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710
| | - Yaodong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
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22
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Division in synthetic cells. Emerg Top Life Sci 2019; 3:551-558. [PMID: 33523162 DOI: 10.1042/etls20190023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cell division is one of the most fundamental processes of life, and so far the only known way of how living systems can come into existence at all. Consequently, its reconstitution in any artificial cell system that will have to be built from the bottom-up is a notoriously complex but an important task. In this short review, I discuss several approaches how to realize division of cell-like compartments, from simply relying on the physical principles of destabilization by growth, or applying external forces, to the design of self-assembling and self-organizing machineries that may autonomously accomplish this task in response to external or internal cues.
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23
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Weaver AI, Jiménez-Ruiz V, Tallavajhala SR, Ransegnola BP, Wong KQ, Dörr T. Lytic transglycosylases RlpA and MltC assist in Vibrio cholerae daughter cell separation. Mol Microbiol 2019; 112:1100-1115. [PMID: 31286580 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The cell wall is a crucial structural feature in the vast majority of bacteria and comprises a covalently closed network of peptidoglycan (PG) strands. While PG synthesis is important for survival under many conditions, the cell wall is also a dynamic structure, undergoing degradation and remodeling by 'autolysins', enzymes that break down PG. Cell division, for example, requires extensive PG remodeling, especially during separation of daughter cells, which depends heavily upon the activity of amidases. However, in Vibrio cholerae, we demonstrate that amidase activity alone is insufficient for daughter cell separation and that lytic transglycosylases RlpA and MltC both contribute to this process. MltC and RlpA both localize to the septum and are functionally redundant under normal laboratory conditions; however, only RlpA can support normal cell separation in low-salt media. The division-specific activity of lytic transglycosylases has implications for the local structure of septal PG, suggesting that there may be glycan bridges between daughter cells that cannot be resolved by amidases. We propose that lytic transglycosylases at the septum cleave PG strands that are crosslinked beyond the reach of the highly regulated activity of the amidase and clear PG debris that may block the completion of outer membrane invagination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna I Weaver
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Valeria Jiménez-Ruiz
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Srikar R Tallavajhala
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Brett P Ransegnola
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Kimberly Q Wong
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Tobias Dörr
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
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24
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Nguyen LT, Oikonomou CM, Ding HJ, Kaplan M, Yao Q, Chang YW, Beeby M, Jensen GJ. Simulations suggest a constrictive force is required for Gram-negative bacterial cell division. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1259. [PMID: 30890709 PMCID: PMC6425016 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09264-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
To divide, Gram-negative bacterial cells must remodel cell wall at the division site. It remains debated, however, whether this cell wall remodeling alone can drive membrane constriction, or if a constrictive force from the tubulin homolog FtsZ is required. Previously, we constructed software (REMODELER 1) to simulate cell wall remodeling during growth. Here, we expanded this software to explore cell wall division (REMODELER 2). We found that simply organizing cell wall synthesis complexes at the midcell is not sufficient to cause invagination, even with the implementation of a make-before-break mechanism, in which new hoops of cell wall are made inside the existing hoops before bonds are cleaved. Division can occur, however, when a constrictive force brings the midcell into a compressed state before new hoops of relaxed cell wall are incorporated between existing hoops. Adding a make-before-break mechanism drives division with a smaller constrictive force sufficient to bring the midcell into a relaxed, but not necessarily compressed, state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lam T Nguyen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Catherine M Oikonomou
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - H Jane Ding
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Mohammed Kaplan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Qing Yao
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Yi-Wei Chang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 422 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Morgan Beeby
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Grant J Jensen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
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25
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Mateos-Gil P, Tarazona P, Vélez M. Bacterial cell division: modeling FtsZ assembly and force generation from single filament experimental data. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2019; 43:73-87. [PMID: 30376053 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuy039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial cytoskeletal protein FtsZ binds and hydrolyzes GTP, self-aggregates into dynamic filaments and guides the assembly of the septal ring on the inner side of the membrane at midcell. This ring constricts the cell during division and is present in most bacteria. Despite exhaustive studies undertaken in the last 25 years after its discovery, we do not yet know the mechanism by which this GTP-dependent self-aggregating protein exerts force on the underlying membrane. This paper reviews recent experiments and theoretical models proposed to explain FtsZ filament dynamic assembly and force generation. It highlights how recent observations of single filaments on reconstituted model systems and computational modeling are contributing to develop new multiscale models that stress the importance of previously overlooked elements as monomer internal flexibility, filament twist and flexible anchoring to the cell membrane. These elements contribute to understand the rich behavior of these GTP consuming dynamic filaments on surfaces. The aim of this review is 2-fold: (1) to summarize recent multiscale models and their implications to understand the molecular mechanism of FtsZ assembly and force generation and (2) to update theoreticians with recent experimental results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Mateos-Gil
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, FO.R.T.H, Vassilika Vouton, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Pedro Tarazona
- Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC) and Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales Nicolás Cabrera, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Marisela Vélez
- Instituto de Catálisis y Petroleoquímica CSIC, c/ Marie Curie 2, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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Ramirez-Diaz DA, García-Soriano DA, Raso A, Mücksch J, Feingold M, Rivas G, Schwille P. Treadmilling analysis reveals new insights into dynamic FtsZ ring architecture. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e2004845. [PMID: 29775478 PMCID: PMC5979038 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2004845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Revised: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
FtsZ, the primary protein of the bacterial Z ring guiding cell division, has been recently shown to engage in intriguing treadmilling dynamics along the circumference of the division plane. When coreconstituted in vitro with FtsA, one of its natural membrane anchors, on flat supported membranes, these proteins assemble into dynamic chiral vortices compatible with treadmilling of curved polar filaments. Replacing FtsA by a membrane-targeting sequence (mts) to FtsZ, we have discovered conditions for the formation of dynamic rings, showing that the phenomenon is intrinsic to FtsZ. Ring formation is only observed for a narrow range of protein concentrations at the bilayer, which is highly modulated by free Mg2+ and depends upon guanosine triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis. Interestingly, the direction of rotation can be reversed by switching the mts from the C-terminus to the N-terminus of the protein, implying that the filament attachment must have a perpendicular component to both curvature and polarity. Remarkably, this chirality switch concurs with previously shown inward or outward membrane deformations by the respective FtsZ mutants. Our results lead us to suggest an intrinsic helicity of FtsZ filaments with more than one direction of curvature, supporting earlier hypotheses and experimental evidence. FtsZ is a tubulin homologue and the primary protein of the bacterial Z ring that guides cell division. In vivo, but also in reconstituted systems, FtsZ shows an intriguing treadmilling dynamic along circular tracks of approximately 1 micrometer in diameter. In cells, this treadmilling along the circumference of the division site is suggested to dynamically guide peptidoglycan—and thus new cell wall—synthesis. In vitro, when reconstituted along with its membrane adaptor FtsA on flat supported membranes, FtsZ self-organizes into similarly treadmilling vortices as observed in vivo but with a clear chirality. With the aim of thoroughly investigating these dynamics, revealing the origin of chirality, and potentially relating it to a membrane-transforming ability of FtsZ, we reconstituted different membrane-targeted mutants of FtsZ on flat membranes. In this minimized system, we found that dynamic ring formation is an intrinsic feature of FtsZ without the need of any other protein. However, self-organization into dynamic treadmilling only occurs within a specific protein, cation, and guanosine triphosphate (GTP) concentration range. Our work led us to propose that the observed chirality of FtsZ treadmilling may be explained by an inherent helical character of the filaments with more than one direction of curvature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego A. Ramirez-Diaz
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
- Graduate School for Quantitative Biosciences (QBM), Ludwig-Maximillians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Daniela A. García-Soriano
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
- Graduate School for Quantitative Biosciences (QBM), Ludwig-Maximillians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Ana Raso
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jonas Mücksch
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Mario Feingold
- Department of Physics, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Germán Rivas
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Petra Schwille
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Lipase-Catalyzed Synthesis of Sucrose Monolaurate and Its Antibacterial Property and Mode of Action against Four Pathogenic Bacteria. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23051118. [PMID: 29738519 PMCID: PMC6100556 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23051118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this work was to evaluate the antibacterial activities and mode of action of sucrose monolaurate (SML) with a desirable purity, synthesized by Lipozyme TL IM-mediated transesterification in the novel ionic liquid, against four pathogenic bacteria including L. monocytogenes, B. subtilis, S. aureus, and E. coli. The antibacterial activity was determined by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and the time⁻kill assay. SML showed varying antibacterial activity against tested bacteria with MICs and MBCs of 2.5 and 20 mM for L. monocytogenes, 2.5 and 20 mM for B. subtilis, 10 and 40 mM for S. aureus, respectively. No dramatic inhibition was observed for E. coli at 80 mM SML. Mechanism of bacterial inactivation caused by SML was revealed through comprehensive factors including cell morphology, cellular lysis, membrane permeability, K⁺ leakage, zeta potential, intracellular enzyme, and DNA assay. Results demonstrated that bacterial inactivation against Gram-positive bacteria was primarily induced by the pronounced damage to the cell membrane integrity. SML may interact with cytoplasmic membrane to disturb the regulation system of peptidoglycan hydrolase activities to degrade the peptidoglycan layer and form a hole in the layer. Then, the inside cytoplasmic membrane was blown out due to turgor pressure and the cytoplasmic materials inside leaked out. Leakage of intracellular enzyme to the supernatants implied that the cell membrane permeability was compromised. Consequently, the release of K⁺ from the cytosol lead to the alterations of the zeta potential of cells, which would disturb the subcellular localization of some proteins, and thereby causing bacterial inactivation. Moreover, remarkable interaction with DNA was also observed. SML at sub-MIC inhibited biofilm formation by these bacteria.
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