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. 2019 Feb 27;90(2-3):73–102. doi: 10.3184/003685007X215913

Intracellular Cytoskeletal Elements and Cytoskeletons in Bacteria

Mohamed HF Madkour 1,✉, Frank Mayer 2,✉
PMCID: PMC10368322  PMID: 17725228

Abstract

Within a short period of time after the discovery of bacterial cytoskletons, major progress had been made in areas such as general spatial layout of cytoskeletons, their involvement in a variety of cell functions (shape control, cell division, chromosome segregation, cell motility). This progress was achieved by application of advanced investigation techniques. Homologs of eukaryotic actin, tubulin, and intermediate filaments were found in bacteria; cytoskeletal proteins not closely or not at all related to any of these major cytoskeletal proteins were discovered in a number of bacteria such as Mycoplasmas, Spiroplasmas, Spirochetes, Treponema, Caulobacter. A structural role for bacterial elongation factor Tu was indicated. On the basis of this new thinking, new approaches in biotechnology and new drugs are on the way.

Keywords: bacterial cytoskeletons, actin-homologs, tubulin homologs, intermediate filament homologs, EF-Tu, cell shape, motiliy, chromosome segregation, cell division, biotechnology

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