Cell Division
Frederico Gueiros-Filho
from: Bacillus: Cellular and Molecular Biology (Third edition) (Edited by: Peter L. Graumann). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2017) Pages: 89-126.
Abstract
Cell division in rod-shaped bacteria like Bacillus subtilis is carried out by a contractile protein ring, made up of about a dozen different polypeptides and known as the divisome. This sophisticated macromolecular machine, which is centered around the tubulin-like protein FtsZ, is capable of promoting the coordinated invagination of the cell membrane and cell wall to create the so-called division septum. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of the mechanism of septum formation in B. subtilis. Emphasis will be placed on describing the properties of the individual division proteins and how they assemble into the divisome complex, and on a discussion of the regulatory mechanisms that ensure that septum formation will happen with great spatial and temporal precision. In addition, the peculiar asymmetric division that happens during B. subtilis sporulation will be described read more ...
