Abstract
Exponentially growing Escherichia coli cells containing additional copies of the shape-determining gene mreB were found to be elongated, whereas mreB mutant cells were spherical and overproduced penicillin-binding protein 3, a septum peptidoglycan synthetase. The effect of the mreB gene on expression of ftsI, the structural gene for penicillin-binding protein 3, was examined by using an ftsI-lacZ fusion gene on a plasmid. Formation of beta-galactosidase from the fusion gene was significantly increased in mreB129 mutant cells, and its overproduction was suppressed to a normal level by the presence of a plasmid containing the mreB gene. These results indicate a negative mechanism of control of cell division by this morphology gene and suggest that the gene functions in determining whether division or elongation of the cells occurs.
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Begg K. J., Spratt B. G., Donachie W. D. Interaction between membrane proteins PBP3 and rodA is required for normal cell shape and division in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1986 Sep;167(3):1004–1008. doi: 10.1128/jb.167.3.1004-1008.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Casadaban M. J., Chou J., Cohen S. N. In vitro gene fusions that join an enzymatically active beta-galactosidase segment to amino-terminal fragments of exogenous proteins: Escherichia coli plasmid vectors for the detection and cloning of translational initiation signals. J Bacteriol. 1980 Aug;143(2):971–980. doi: 10.1128/jb.143.2.971-980.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Doi M., Wachi M., Ishino F., Tomioka S., Ito M., Sakagami Y., Suzuki A., Matsuhashi M. Determinations of the DNA sequence of the mreB gene and of the gene products of the mre region that function in formation of the rod shape of Escherichia coli cells. J Bacteriol. 1988 Oct;170(10):4619–4624. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.10.4619-4624.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Donachie W. D., Begg K. J., Lutkenhaus J. F., Salmond G. P., Martinez-Salas E., Vincente M. Role of the ftsA gene product in control of Escherichia coli cell division. J Bacteriol. 1979 Nov;140(2):388–394. doi: 10.1128/jb.140.2.388-394.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ishino F., Park W., Tomioka S., Tamaki S., Takase I., Kunugita K., Matsuzawa H., Asoh S., Ohta T., Spratt B. G. Peptidoglycan synthetic activities in membranes of Escherichia coli caused by overproduction of penicillin-binding protein 2 and rodA protein. J Biol Chem. 1986 May 25;261(15):7024–7031. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LENNOX E. S. Transduction of linked genetic characters of the host by bacteriophage P1. Virology. 1955 Jul;1(2):190–206. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(55)90016-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Nakamura M., Maruyama I. N., Soma M., Kato J., Suzuki H., Horota Y. On the process of cellular division in Escherichia coli: nucleotide sequence of the gene for penicillin-binding protein 3. Mol Gen Genet. 1983;191(1):1–9. doi: 10.1007/BF00330881. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- O'Callaghan C. H., Morris A., Kirby S. M., Shingler A. H. Novel method for detection of beta-lactamases by using a chromogenic cephalosporin substrate. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1972 Apr;1(4):283–288. doi: 10.1128/aac.1.4.283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Spratt B. G., Pardee A. B. Penicillin-binding proteins and cell shape in E. coli. Nature. 1975 Apr 10;254(5500):516–517. doi: 10.1038/254516a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stoker N. G., Fairweather N. F., Spratt B. G. Versatile low-copy-number plasmid vectors for cloning in Escherichia coli. Gene. 1982 Jun;18(3):335–341. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(82)90172-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tamaki S., Matsuzawa H., Matsuhashi M. Cluster of mrdA and mrdB genes responsible for the rod shape and mecillinam sensitivity of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1980 Jan;141(1):52–57. doi: 10.1128/jb.141.1.52-57.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wachi M., Doi M., Tamaki S., Park W., Nakajima-Iijima S., Matsuhashi M. Mutant isolation and molecular cloning of mre genes, which determine cell shape, sensitivity to mecillinam, and amount of penicillin-binding proteins in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1987 Nov;169(11):4935–4940. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.11.4935-4940.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]