FtsK Regulates the Assembly of the Division Machinery in the FtsZ-less Chlamydia trachomatis
type: CreativeWork
description: In evolving to obligate intracellular dependence, Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L2 (Ct), has eliminated several gene products essential for cell division in most other bacteria, including FtsZ, the central coordinator of divisome assembly. In the absence of FtsZ, we show that divisome assembly in Ct is initiated by FtsK, a chromosomal translocase. Chlamydial FtsK forms discrete foci at the septum and at the base of the progenitor mother cell, and our data indicate that FtsK foci at the base of the mother cell mark the location of nascent divisome complexes that form at the site where a daughter cell will emerge in the next round of division. The divisome in Ct has a hybrid composition, containing elements of the divisome and elongasome from other bacteria, and FtsK is recruited to nascent divisomes prior to the other chlamydial divisome proteins assayed, including the PBP2 and PBP3 transpeptidases, and MreB and MreC. Knocking down FtsK prevents divisome assembly in Ct and inhibits cell division and septal peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis. We further show that MreB does not function like FtsZ and serves as a scaffold for the assembly of the Ct divisome. Rather, MreB is one of the last proteins recruited to the chlamydial divisome, and it is necessary for the formation of septal PG rings. Our recent studies have demonstrated the critical role of localized cardiolipin (CL) synthesis in coordinating cell division in Ct. CL is concentrated at the poles and septum, where it promotes the recruitment of MreB during polarized cell division. The lipid’s unique structure helps induce membrane curvature and facilitates divisome protein assembly, making it essential for proper spatial organization of septal PG synthesis and MreB localization. This localized CL synthesis is required for MreB to support the formation of septal PG rings. Our studies further illustrate the critical function of chlamydial FtsK in coordinating divisome assembly and PG synthesis in this obligate intracellu…
abstract: In evolving to obligate intracellular dependence, Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L2 (Ct), has eliminated several gene products essential for cell division in most other bacteria, including FtsZ, the central coordinator of divisome assembly. In the absence of FtsZ, we show that divisome assembly in Ct is initiated by FtsK, a chromosomal translocase. Chlamydial FtsK forms discrete foci at the septum and at the base of the progenitor mother cell, and our data indicate that FtsK foci at the base of the mother cell mark the location of nascent divisome complexes that form at the site where a daughter cell will emerge in the next round of division. The divisome in Ct has a hybrid composition, containing elements of the divisome and elongasome from other bacteria, and FtsK is recruited to nascent divisomes prior to the other chlamydial divisome proteins assayed, including the PBP2 and PBP3 transpeptidases, and MreB and MreC. Knocking down FtsK prevents divisome assembly in Ct and inhibits cell division and septal peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis. We further show that MreB does not function like FtsZ and serves as a scaffold for the assembly of the Ct divisome. Rather, MreB is one of the last proteins recruited to the chlamydial divisome, and it is necessary for the formation of septal PG rings. Our recent studies have demonstrated the critical role of localized cardiolipin (CL) synthesis in coordinating cell division in Ct. CL is concentrated at the poles and septum, where it promotes the recruitment of MreB during polarized cell division. The lipid’s unique structure helps induce membrane curvature and facilitates divisome protein assembly, making it essential for proper spatial organization of septal PG synthesis and MreB localization. This localized CL synthesis is required for MreB to support the formation of septal PG rings. Our studies further illustrate the critical function of chlamydial FtsK in coordinating divisome assembly and PG synthesis in this obligate intracellu…
author: Harpring, McKenna Katherine
keywords: chlamydia, divisome, elongasome, FtsK, MreB, XerD, Bacterial Infections and Mycoses, Diseases, Medical Biochemistry, Medical Immunology, Medical Microbiology, Medical Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences
date published: 2024-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:00:53Z
provider: University of Tennessee Health Science Center
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Tennessee Health Science Center