ZapG (YhcB/DUF1043), a novel cell division protein in gamma-proteobacteria linking the Z-ring to septal peptidoglycan synthesis.

ABSTRACT: YhcB, a poorly understood protein conserved across gamma-proteobacteria, contains a domain of unknown function (DUF1043) and an N-terminal transmembrane domain. Here, we used an integrated approach including X-ray crystallography, genetics, and molecular biology to investigate the function and structure of YhcB. The Escherichia coli yhcB KO strain does not grow at 45 °C and is hypersensitive to cell wall-acting antibiotics, even in the stationary phase. The deletion of yhcB leads to filamentation, abnormal FtsZ ring formation, and aberrant septum development. The Z-ring is essential for the positioning of the septa and the initiation of cell division. We found that YhcB interacts with proteins of the divisome (e.g., FtsI, FtsQ) and elongasome (e.g., RodZ, RodA). Seven of these interactions

SUBMITTER: Mehla J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8163987 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature