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Bacterial physiology

Bacillus does the two-step

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 8, pages 4–5 (2010)Cite this article

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The membrane-associated DNA translocases SpoIIIE and FtsK are members of the SpoIIIE–FtsK–Tra family of AAA+ ring ATPases and are required for faithful chromosome partitioning in B. subtilis and Escherichia coli , respectively. FtsK localizes to the division septum late in the cell cycle and is involved in chromosome dimer resolution. In vegetative B. subtilis cells, SpoIIIE localizes to sites where the segregating chromosome has become trapped by the closing division septum to free the trapped DNA.

The Graumann and Burkholder laboratories were interested in characterizing a second putative DNA translocase in B. subtilis, SftA. Both groups found that deletion of sftA led to a mild late-stage segregation defect that increased the likelihood of cells dividing over unsegregated chromosomes and was more pronounced in the presence of DNA-damaging agents or when chromosome replication or segregation were perturbed. Analysis of the phenotypes of sftA and spoIIIE deletion mutants in different genetic backgrounds indicated that SftA and SpoIIIE have distinct functions in chromosome segregation. Localization studies showed that SftA is part of the divisome and is recruited early following assembly of the cytokinetic FtsZ ring. SpoIIIE, by contrast, is not part of the divisome and accumulates at division sites only when a segregating chromosome is trapped in the septum. The biochemical analysis of Kaimer and colleagues showed that SftA is a soluble, DNA-dependent ATPase. Biller and Burkholder demonstrated that SpoIIIE, but not SftA, can translocate DNA once the septum has formed. They also suggest that, analogous to FtsK, SftA functions by increasing the efficiency of chromosome dimer resolution.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

  1. Biller, S. J. & Burkholder, W. F. The Bacillus subtilis SftA (YtpS) and SpoIIIE DNA translocases play distinct roles in growing cells to ensure faithful chromosome partitioning. Mol. Microbiol. 74, 790–809 (2009)

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  2. Kaimer, C., González-Pastor, J. E. & Graumann, P. L. SpoIIIE and a novel type of DNA translocase, SftA, couple chromosome segregation with cell division in Bacillus subtilis. Mol. Microbiol. 74, 810–825 (2009)

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Authors
  1. Sheilagh Molloy
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Molloy, S. Bacillus does the two-step. Nat Rev Microbiol 8, 4–5 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2288

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2288

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