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Dynamic proteins and a cytoskeleton in bacteria

Nature Cell Biology volume 5, pages 175–178 (2003)Cite this article

The application of modern fluorescence microscopic methods to bacteria has revolutionized our view of their subcellular organization. Many proteins are now known to be targeted with exquisite precision to specific locations in the cell, or to undergo rapid directed changes in localization. Structural and functional homologues of tubulin (FtsZ) and actin (MreB) are now indisputably present in bacteria, overturning the textbook view that the cytoskeleton is unique to eukaryotes. These advances are stimulating a radical rethink about how various fundamental processes are organised in bacteria.

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Figure 1: Distinct cellular addresses of cell cycle and morphogenic proteins in bacteria.
Figure 2: Some patterns of protein targeting in a typical bacterial cell (B. subtilis).

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Acknowledgements

Work in the Errington lab is supported by grants and a Senior Research Fellowship (to J.E.) from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). I am indebted to many colleagues in the lab who have contributed to our bacterial cell imaging work over the last few years, especially to P.J. Lewis.

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  1. Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK

    Jeffery Errington

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  1. Jeffery Errington
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Errington, J. Dynamic proteins and a cytoskeleton in bacteria. Nat Cell Biol 5, 175–178 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb0303-175

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