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Morrison JJ, Camberg JL. Building the Bacterial Divisome at the Septum. Subcell Biochem 2024; 104:49-71. [PMID: 38963483 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-58843-3_4] [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] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Across living organisms, division is necessary for cell survival and passing heritable information to the next generation. For this reason, cell division is highly conserved among eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Among the most highly conserved cell division proteins in eukaryotes are tubulin and actin. Tubulin polymerizes to form microtubules, which assemble into cytoskeletal structures in eukaryotes, such as the mitotic spindle that pulls chromatids apart during mitosis. Actin polymerizes to form a morphological framework for the eukaryotic cell, or cytoskeleton, that undergoes reorganization during mitosis. In prokaryotes, two of the most highly conserved cell division proteins are the tubulin homolog FtsZ and the actin homolog FtsA. In this chapter, the functions of the essential bacterial cell division proteins FtsZ and FtsA and their roles in assembly of the divisome at the septum, the site of cell division, will be discussed. In most bacteria, including Escherichia coli, the tubulin homolog FtsZ polymerizes at midcell, and this step is crucial for recruitment of many other proteins to the division site. For this reason, both FtsZ abundance and polymerization are tightly regulated by a variety of proteins. The actin-like FtsA protein polymerizes and tethers FtsZ polymers to the cytoplasmic membrane. Additionally, FtsA interacts with later stage cell division proteins, which are essential for division and for building the new cell wall at the septum. Recent studies have investigated how actin-like polymerization of FtsA on the lipid membrane may impact division, and we will discuss this and other ways that division in bacteria is regulated through FtsZ and FtsA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josiah J Morrison
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Jodi L Camberg
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA.
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2
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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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3
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Naha A, Haeusser DP, Margolin W. Anchors: A way for FtsZ filaments to stay membrane bound. Mol Microbiol 2023; 120:525-538. [PMID: 37503768 PMCID: PMC10593102 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Most bacteria use the tubulin homolog FtsZ to organize their cell division. FtsZ polymers initially assemble into mobile complexes that circle around a ring-like structure at the cell midpoint, followed by the recruitment of other proteins that will constrict the cytoplasmic membrane and synthesize septal peptidoglycan to divide the cell. Despite the need for FtsZ polymers to associate with the membrane, FtsZ lacks intrinsic membrane binding ability. Consequently, FtsZ polymers have evolved to interact with the membrane through adaptor proteins that both bind FtsZ and the membrane. Here, we discuss recent progress in understanding the functions of these FtsZ membrane tethers. Some, such as FtsA and SepF, are widely conserved and assemble into varied oligomeric structures bound to the membrane through an amphipathic helix. Other less-conserved proteins, such as EzrA and ZipA, have transmembrane domains, make extended structures, and seem to bind to FtsZ through two separate interactions. This review emphasizes that most FtsZs use multiple membrane tethers with overlapping functions, which not only attach FtsZ polymers to the membrane but also organize them in specific higher-order structures that can optimize cell division activity. We discuss gaps in our knowledge of these concepts and how future studies can address them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arindam Naha
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UTHealth-Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Daniel P. Haeusser
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UTHealth-Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Biology, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY 14208, USA
| | - William Margolin
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UTHealth-Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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4
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Paccione G, Robles-Ramos MÁ, Alfonso C, Sobrinos-Sanguino M, Margolin W, Zorrilla S, Monterroso B, Rivas G. Lipid Surfaces and Glutamate Anions Enhance Formation of Dynamic Biomolecular Condensates Containing Bacterial Cell Division Protein FtsZ and Its DNA-Bound Regulator SlmA. Biochemistry 2022; 61:2482-2489. [PMID: 36315857 PMCID: PMC9670838 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Dynamic biomolecular condensates formed by liquid-liquid phase separation can regulate the spatial and temporal organization of proteins, thus modulating their functional activity in cells. Previous studies showed that the cell division protein FtsZ from Escherichia coli formed dynamic phase-separated condensates with nucleoprotein complexes containing the FtsZ spatial regulator SlmA under crowding conditions, with potential implications for condensate-mediated spatiotemporal control of FtsZ activity in cell division. In the present study, we assessed formation of these condensates in the presence of lipid surfaces and glutamate ions to better approximate the E. coli intracellular environment. We found that potassium glutamate substantially promoted the formation of FtsZ-containing condensates when compared to potassium chloride in crowded solutions. These condensates accumulated on supported lipid bilayers and eventually fused, resulting in a time-dependent increase in the droplet size. Moreover, the accumulated condensates were dynamic, capturing protein from the external phase. FtsZ partitioned into the condensates at the lipid surface only in its guanosine diphosphate (GDP) form, regardless of whether it came from FtsZ polymer disassembly upon guanosine triphosphate (GTP) exhaustion. These results provide insights into the behavior of these GTP-responsive condensates in minimal membrane systems, which suggest how these membraneless assemblies may tune critical bacterial division events during the cell cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianfranco Paccione
- Centro
de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Á. Robles-Ramos
- Centro
de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Alfonso
- Centro
de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Sobrinos-Sanguino
- Centro
de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - William Margolin
- Department
of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston, Texas 77030, United States
| | - Silvia Zorrilla
- Centro
de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain,E-mail:
| | - Begoña Monterroso
- Centro
de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain,E-mail:
| | - Germán Rivas
- Centro
de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain,E-mail:
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5
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In vitro assembly, positioning and contraction of a division ring in minimal cells. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6098. [PMID: 36243816 PMCID: PMC9569390 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33679-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Constructing a minimal machinery for autonomous self-division of synthetic cells is a major goal of bottom-up synthetic biology. One paradigm has been the E. coli divisome, with the MinCDE protein system guiding assembly and positioning of a presumably contractile ring based on FtsZ and its membrane adaptor FtsA. Here, we demonstrate the full in vitro reconstitution of this machinery consisting of five proteins within lipid vesicles, allowing to observe the following sequence of events in real time: 1) Assembly of an isotropic filamentous FtsZ network, 2) its condensation into a ring-like structure, along with pole-to-pole mode selection of Min oscillations resulting in equatorial positioning, and 3) onset of ring constriction, deforming the vesicles from spherical shape. Besides demonstrating these essential features, we highlight the importance of decisive experimental factors, such as macromolecular crowding. Our results provide an exceptional showcase of the emergence of cell division in a minimal system, and may represent a step towards developing a synthetic cell.
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6
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Vélez M. How Does the Spatial Confinement of FtsZ to a Membrane Surface Affect Its Polymerization Properties and Function? Front Microbiol 2022; 13:757711. [PMID: 35592002 PMCID: PMC9111741 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.757711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
FtsZ is the cytoskeletal protein that organizes the formation of the septal ring and orchestrates bacterial cell division. Its association to the membrane is essential for its function. In this mini-review I will address the question of how this association can interfere with the structure and dynamic properties of the filaments and argue that its dynamics could also remodel the underlying lipid membrane through its activity. Thus, lipid rearrangement might need to be considered when trying to understand FtsZ’s function. This new element could help understand how FtsZ assembly coordinates positioning and recruitment of the proteins forming the septal ring inside the cell with the activity of the machinery involved in peptidoglycan synthesis located in the periplasmic space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisela Vélez
- Instituto de Catálisis y Petroleoquímica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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7
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Levin PA, Janakiraman A. Localization, Assembly, and Activation of the Escherichia coli Cell Division Machinery. EcoSal Plus 2021; 9:eESP00222021. [PMID: 34910577 PMCID: PMC8919703 DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0022-2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Anne Levin
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Center for Science & Engineering of Living Systems (CSELS), McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Anuradha Janakiraman
- Department of Biology, The City College of New York, New York, New York, USA
- Programs in Biology and Biochemistry, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, New York, USA
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8
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Briggs NS, Bruce KE, Naskar S, Winkler ME, Roper DI. The Pneumococcal Divisome: Dynamic Control of Streptococcus pneumoniae Cell Division. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:737396. [PMID: 34737730 PMCID: PMC8563077 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.737396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell division in Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is performed and regulated by a protein complex consisting of at least 14 different protein elements; known as the divisome. Recent findings have advanced our understanding of the molecular events surrounding this process and have provided new understanding of the mechanisms that occur during the division of pneumococcus. This review will provide an overview of the key protein complexes and how they are involved in cell division. We will discuss the interaction of proteins in the divisome complex that underpin the control mechanisms for cell division and cell wall synthesis and remodelling that are required in S. pneumoniae, including the involvement of virulence factors and capsular polysaccharides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas S. Briggs
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin E. Bruce
- Department of Biology, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Souvik Naskar
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Malcolm E. Winkler
- Department of Biology, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - David I. Roper
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
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9
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Ramos-León F, Bush MJ, Sallmen JW, Chandra G, Richardson J, Findlay KC, McCormick JR, Schlimpert S. A conserved cell division protein directly regulates FtsZ dynamics in filamentous and unicellular actinobacteria. eLife 2021; 10:e63387. [PMID: 33729912 PMCID: PMC7968930 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial cell division is driven by the polymerization of the GTPase FtsZ into a contractile structure, the so-called Z-ring. This essential process involves proteins that modulate FtsZ dynamics and hence the overall Z-ring architecture. Actinobacteria like Streptomyces and Mycobacterium lack known key FtsZ-regulators. Here we report the identification of SepH, a conserved actinobacterial protein that directly regulates FtsZ dynamics. We show that SepH is crucially involved in cell division in Streptomyces venezuelae and that it binds FtsZ via a conserved helix-turn-helix motif, stimulating the assembly of FtsZ protofilaments. Comparative in vitro studies using the SepH homolog from Mycobacterium smegmatis further reveal that SepH can also bundle FtsZ protofilaments, indicating an additional Z-ring stabilizing function in vivo. We propose that SepH plays a crucial role at the onset of cytokinesis in actinobacteria by promoting the assembly of FtsZ filaments into division-competent Z-rings that can go on to mediate septum synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Félix Ramos-León
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes CentreNorwichUnited Kingdom
| | - Matthew J Bush
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes CentreNorwichUnited Kingdom
| | - Joseph W Sallmen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes CentreNorwichUnited Kingdom
| | - Govind Chandra
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes CentreNorwichUnited Kingdom
| | - Jake Richardson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes CentreNorwichUnited Kingdom
| | - Kim C Findlay
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes CentreNorwichUnited Kingdom
| | - Joseph R McCormick
- Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne UniversityPittsburghUnited States
| | - Susan Schlimpert
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes CentreNorwichUnited Kingdom
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10
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Barrows JM, Goley ED. FtsZ dynamics in bacterial division: What, how, and why? Curr Opin Cell Biol 2021; 68:163-172. [PMID: 33220539 PMCID: PMC7925355 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2020.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial cell division is orchestrated by the divisome, a protein complex centered on the tubulin homolog FtsZ. FtsZ polymerizes into a dynamic ring that defines the division site, recruits downstream proteins, and directs peptidoglycan synthesis to drive constriction. Recent studies have documented treadmilling of FtsZ polymer clusters both in cells and in vitro. Emerging evidence suggests that FtsZ dynamics are regulated largely by intrinsic properties of FtsZ itself and by the membrane anchoring protein FtsA. Although FtsZ dynamics are broadly required for Z-ring assembly, their role(s) during constriction may vary among bacterial species. These recent advances set the stage for future studies to investigate how FtsZ dynamics are physically and/or functionally coupled to peptidoglycan metabolic enzymes to direct efficient division.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan M Barrows
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Erin D Goley
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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