Fig. P1.

TIPOC serves as a hub for polarized growth in Streptomyces. The multigenomic and branching filaments of a sporulating Streptomyces colony (Left) extend exclusively at the hyphal tips (Center). This polarized growth is governed by a multiprotein assembly that includes the long coiled-coil protein Scy and the polarity determinant DivIVA. DivIVA directly controls cell wall synthesis (PBP), whereas Scy is responsible for the organization of the TIPOC. Direct interaction of the TIPOC components with FilP and the possible link between the cell division machinery (i.e., FtsZ, SsgA, SsgB, ParA, ParB) and the TIPOC are also shown. CM, cell membrane; PBP, penicillin-binding protein; PG, peptidoglycan.