Organization of FtsZ Filaments in the Bacterial Division Ring Measured from Polarized Fluorescence Microscopy |
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| Authors: | Fangwei Si Kimberly Busiek William Margolin Sean?X Sun |
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| Institution: | †Department of Mechanical Engineering, Whitaker Biomedical Engineering Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland;‡Physical Sciences in Oncology Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland;§Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas |
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| Abstract: | Cytokinesis in bacteria is accomplished by a ring-shaped cell-division complex (the Z-ring). The primary component of the Z-ring is FtsZ, a filamentous tubulin homolog that serves as a scaffold for the recruitment of other cell-division-related proteins. FtsZ forms filaments and bundles. In the cell, it has been suggested that FtsZ filaments form the arcs of the ring and are aligned in the cell-circumferential direction. Using polarized fluorescence microscopy in live Escherichia coli cells, we measure the structural organization of FtsZ filaments in the Z-ring. The data suggest a disordered organization: a substantial portion of FtsZ filaments are aligned in the cell-axis direction. FtsZ organization in the Z-ring also appears to depend on the bacterial species. Taken together, the unique arrangement of FtsZ suggests novel unexplored mechanisms in bacterial cell division. |
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