Molecular structure of the ESCRT-III-based archaeal CdvAB cell division machinery.

ABSTRACT: Most prokaryotes divide using filaments of the tubulin-like FtsZ protein, while some archaea employ instead ESCRT-III-like proteins and their filaments for cell division and cytokinesis. The alternative archaeal system comprises Cdv proteins and is thought to bear some resemblance to ESCRT-III-based membrane remodeling in other domains of life, including eukaryotes, especially during abscission. Here, we present biochemical, crystallographic, and cryo-EM studies of the Sulfolobus Cdv machinery. CdvA, an early non-ESCRT component, adopts a PRC-domain/coiled-coil fold and polymerizes into long double-stranded helical filaments, mainly via hydrophobic interfaces. Monomeric CdvB adopts the canonical ESCRT-III fold in both a closed and a distinct "semiopen" conformation. Soluble CdvB2 fi

SUBMITTER: Drobnic T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12818579 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature