Linking the Peptidoglycan Synthesis Protein Complex with Asymmetric Cell Division during <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> Sporulation

oleh: Katarína Muchová, Zuzana Chromiková, Imrich Barák

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2020-06-01

Deskripsi

Peptidoglycan is generally considered one of the main determinants of cell shape in bacteria. In rod-shaped bacteria, cell elongation requires peptidoglycan synthesis to lengthen the cell wall. In addition, peptidoglycan is synthesized at the division septum during cell division. Sporulation of <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> begins with an asymmetric cell division. Formation of the sporulation septum requires almost the same set of proteins as the vegetative septum; however, these two septa are significantly different. In addition to their differences in localization, the sporulation septum is thinner and it contains SpoIIE, a crucial sporulation specific protein. Here we show that peptidoglycan biosynthesis is linked to the cell division machinery during sporulation septum formation. We detected a direct interaction between SpoIIE and GpsB and found that both proteins co-localize during the early stages of asymmetric septum formation. We propose that SpoIIE is part of a multi-protein complex which includes GpsB, other division proteins and peptidoglycan synthesis proteins, and could provide a link between the peptidoglycan synthesis machinery and the complex morphological changes required for forespore formation during <i>B. subtilis</i> sporulation.