Open AccessGenetic evidence that mycobacterial FtsZ and FtsW proteins interact, and colocalize to the division site in Mycobacterium smegmatis
Author(s) -
Rajagopalan Malini,
Maloney Erin,
Dziadek Jaroslaw,
Poplawska Marta,
Lofton Hava,
Chauhan Ashwini,
Madiraju Murty V.V.S.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1016/j.femsle.2005.06.043
Subject(s) - ftsz , mycobacterium smegmatis , colocalization , biology , escherichia coli , mycobacterium , cell division , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , biochemistry , mycobacterium tuberculosis , cell , genetics , gene , bacteria , tuberculosis , medicine , pathology
We provide genetic evidence to show that the Mycobacterium tuberculosis FtsZ and FtsW proteins interact, and that these interactions are biologically relevant. Furthermore, we show by fluorescence microscopy that Mycobacterium smegmatis FtsW is part of its septasomal complex and colocalizes with FtsZ to the midcell sites. Colocalization experiments reveal that approximately 27% of the cells with septal Z‐rings contain FtsW whereas 93% of the cells with FtsW bands are associated with FtsZ indicating that FtsW is late recruit to the septum, as in Escherichia coli. Our results suggest that mycobacterial FtsZ can localize to the septum independent of FtsW, and that interactions of FtsW with FtsZ are critical for the formation of productive FtsZ‐rings and the cell division process in mycobacteria.