Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1979 Nov;140(2):388–394. doi: 10.1128/jb.140.2.388-394.1979

Role of the ftsA gene product in control of Escherichia coli cell division.

W D Donachie, K J Begg, J F Lutkenhaus, G P Salmond, E Martinez-Salas, M Vincente
PMCID: PMC216661  PMID: 387733

Abstract

The kinetics of cell division have been studied in a strain of Escherichia coli which has an amber mutation in the ftsA gene and which also carries a temperature sensitive amber suppressor. This strain is therefore temperature sensitive for the synthesis of the ftsA protein. Cells of this strain were able to divide only if the synthesis of this protein took place during a specific part of the cell cycle. This was a short period (roughly 10 min in duration) immediately before the normal time of cell division.

Full text

PDF
388

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Begg K. J., Donachie W. D. Changes in cell size and shape in thymine-requiring Escherichia coli associated with growth in low concentrations of thymine. J Bacteriol. 1978 Feb;133(2):452–458. doi: 10.1128/jb.133.2.452-458.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Borck K., Beggs J. D., Brammar W. J., Hopkins A. S., Murray N. E. The construction in vitro of transducing derivatives of phage lambda. Mol Gen Genet. 1976 Jul 23;146(2):199–207. doi: 10.1007/BF00268089. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Donachie W. D., Begg K. J., Vicente M. Cell length, cell growth and cell division. Nature. 1976 Nov 25;264(5584):328–333. doi: 10.1038/264328a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fletcher G., Irwin C. A., Henson J. M., Fillingim C., Malone M. M., Walker J. R. Identification of the Escherichia coli cell division gene sep and organization of the cell division-cell envelope genes in the sep-mur-ftsA-envA cluster as determined with specialized transducing lambda bacteriophages. J Bacteriol. 1978 Jan;133(1):91–100. doi: 10.1128/jb.133.1.91-100.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Lutkenhaus J. F., Donachie W. D. Identification of the ftsA gene product. J Bacteriol. 1979 Mar;137(3):1088–1094. doi: 10.1128/jb.137.3.1088-1094.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Mindich L., Cohen J., Weisburd M. Isolation of nonsense suppressor mutants in Pseudomonas. J Bacteriol. 1976 Apr;126(1):177–182. doi: 10.1128/jb.126.1.177-182.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. 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]
  8. Smith J. D., Barnett L., Brenner S., Russell R. L. More mutant tyrosine transfer ribonucleic acids. J Mol Biol. 1970 Nov 28;54(1):1–14. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(70)90442-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Spratt B. G. Temperature-sensitive cell division mutants of Escherichia coli with thermolabile penicillin-binding proteins. J Bacteriol. 1977 Jul;131(1):293–305. doi: 10.1128/jb.131.1.293-305.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. VOGEL H. J., BONNER D. M. Acetylornithinase of Escherichia coli: partial purification and some properties. J Biol Chem. 1956 Jan;218(1):97–106. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Walker J. R., Kovarik A., Allen J. S., Gustafson R. A. Regulation of bacterial cell division: temperature-sensitive mutants of Escherichia coli that are defective in septum formation. J Bacteriol. 1975 Aug;123(2):693–703. doi: 10.1128/jb.123.2.693-703.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Wijsman H. J. A genetic map of several mutations affecting the mucopeptide layer of Escherichia coli. Genet Res. 1972 Aug;20(1):65–74. doi: 10.1017/s0016672300013598. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Wijsman H. J., Koopman C. R. The relation of the genes envA and ftsA in Escherichia coli. Mol Gen Genet. 1976 Aug 10;147(1):99–102. doi: 10.1007/BF00337942. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Zusman D. R., Carbonell A., Haga J. Y. Nucleoid condensation and cell division in Escherichia coli MX74T2 ts52 after inhibition of protein synthesis. J Bacteriol. 1973 Sep;115(3):1167–1178. doi: 10.1128/jb.115.3.1167-1178.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES