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Differentiated roles for MreB ‐actin isologues and autolytic enzymes in B acillus subtilis morphogenesis
Author(s) -
DomínguezCuevas Patricia,
Porcelli Ida,
Daniel Richard A.,
Errington Jeff
Publication year - 2013
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 - 10.1111/mmi.12335
Subject(s) - mreb , peptidoglycan , morphogenesis , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , bacillus subtilis , cell division , actin , bacterial cell structure , cell , penicillin binding proteins , cell wall , cytoskeleton , biochemistry , bacteria , escherichia coli , gene , genetics
Summary Cell morphogenesis in most bacteria is governed by spatiotemporal growth regulation of the peptidoglycan cell wall layer. Much is known about peptidoglycan synthesis but regulation of its turnover by hydrolytic enzymes is much less well understood. B acillus subtilis has a multitude of such enzymes. Two of the best characterized are CwlO and LytE : cells lacking both enzymes have a lethal block in cell elongation. Here we show that activity of CwlO is regulated by an ABC transporter, FtsEX , which is required for cell elongation, unlike cell division as in E scherichia coli . Actin‐like MreB proteins are thought to play a key role in orchestrating cell wall morphogenesis. B . subtilis has three MreB isologues with partially differentiated functions. We now show that the three MreB isologues have differential roles in regulation of the CwlO and LytE systems and that autolysins control different aspects of cell morphogenesis. The results add major autolytic activities to the growing list of functions controlled by MreB isologues in bacteria and provide new insights into the different specialized functions of essential cell wall autolysins.