A DNA-Binding Protein Tunes Septum Placement during Bacillus subtilis Sporulation.

ABSTRACT: Bacillus subtilis is a bacterium capable of differentiating into a spore form more resistant to environmental stress. Early in sporulation, each cell possesses two copies of a circular chromosome. A polar FtsZ ring (Z ring) directs septation over one of the chromosomes, generating two cell compartments. The smaller "forespore" compartment initially contains only 25 to 30% of one chromosome, and this transient genetic asymmetry is required for differentiation. Timely assembly of polar Z rings and precise capture of the chromosome in the forespore both require the DNA-binding protein RefZ. To mediate its role in chromosome capture, RefZ must bind to specific DNA motifs (RBMs) that localize near the poles at the time of septation. Cells artificially induced to express RefZ durin

SUBMITTER: Brown EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6657595 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature