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Cell cycle arrest in Era GTPase mutants: a potential growth rate‐regulated checkpoint in Escherichia coli
Author(s) -
Britton Robert A.,
Powell Bradford S.,
Dasgupta Santanu,
Sun Qin,
Margolin William,
Lupski James R.,
Court Donald L.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2958.1998.00719.x
Subject(s) - biology , cell cycle , cytokinesis , microbiology and biotechnology , gtpase , cell division , genetics , cell cycle checkpoint , mutant , cell , gene
Era is a low‐molecular‐weight GTPase essential for Escherichia coli viability. The gene encoding Era is found in the rnc operon, and the synthesis of both RNase III and Era increases with growth rate. Mutants that are partially defective in Era GTPase activity or that are reduced in the synthesis of wild‐type Era become arrested in the cell cycle at the predivisional two‐cell stage. The partially defective Era GTPase mutation ( era1 ) suppresses several temperature‐sensitive lethal alleles that affect chromosome replication and chromosome partitioning but not cell division. Our results suggest that Era plays an important role in cell cycle progression at a specific point in the cycle, after chromosome partitioning but before cytokinesis. Possible functions for Era in cell cycle progression and the initiation of cell division are discussed.