In vitro reconstitution of a trimeric complex of DivIB, DivIC and FtsL, and their transient co-localization at the division site in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Mol Microbiol. 2005 Jan;55(2):413-24. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2004.04408.x.

Abstract

DivIB, DivIC and FtsL are bacterial proteins essential for cell division, which show interdependencies for their stabilities and localization. We have reconstituted in vitro a trimeric complex consisting of the recombinant extracellular domains of the three proteins from Streptococcus pneumoniae. The extracellular domain of DivIB was found to associate with a heterodimer of those of DivIC and FtsL. The heterodimerization of DivIC and FtsL was artificially constrained by fusion with interacting coiled-coils. Immunofluorescence experiments showed that DivIC is always localized at mid-cell, in contrast to DivIB and FtsL, which are co-localized with DivIC only during septation. Taken together, our data suggest that assembly of the trimeric complex DivIB/DivIC/FtsL is regulated during the cell cycle through controlled formation of the DivIC/FtsL heterodimer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / chemistry
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Division*
  • Dimerization
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / genetics
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial*
  • Membrane Proteins / chemistry
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / cytology
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / genetics
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / metabolism*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • DivIB protein, Bacillus subtilis
  • DivIC protein, Bacillus subtilis
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • ftsL protein, E coli