RodZ (YfgA) is required for proper assembly of the MreB actin cytoskeleton and cell shape in E. coli.

RodZ ( YfgA ) is required for proper assembly of the MreB actin cytoskeleton and cell shape in Escherichia coli

Bacterial actin MreB assembles in complex with cell shape protein RodZ.

Bacterial actin homologue MreB is required for cell shape maintenance in most non-spherical bacteria, where it assembles into helical structures just underneath the cytoplasmic membrane. Proper assembly of the actin cytoskeleton requires RodZ, a conserved, bitopic membrane protein that colocalises to MreB and is essential for cell shape determination. Here, we present the first crystal structur...

RodZ, a new player in bacterial cell morphogenesis

Three different laboratories have now identified a new morphogenetic factor widely conserved in bacteria. The protein, RodZ, is required for assembly of the actin cytoskeleton MreB that controls cell wall synthesis and cell shape. It is not yet understood how bacteria determine their shape. Almost all bacteria are surrounded by a giant cell wall polymer called peptidoglycan that gives shape to ...

Analysis of MreB interactors in Chlamydia reveals a RodZ homolog but fails to detect an interaction with MraY

Chlamydia is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that has significantly reduced its genome in adapting to the intracellular environment. One class of genes for which the bacterium has few annotated examples is cell division, and Chlamydia lacks FtsZ, a central coordinator of the division apparatus. We have previously implicated MreB as a potential substitute for FtsZ in Chlamydia (Ouel...

Mutations in cell elongation genes mreB, mrdA and mrdB suppress the shape defect of RodZ-deficient cells

RodZ interacts with MreB and both factors are required to maintain the rod shape of Escherichia coli. The assembly of MreB into filaments regulates the subcellular arrangement of a group of enzymes that synthesizes the peptidoglycan (PG) layer. However, it is still unknown how polymerization of MreB determines the rod shape of bacterial cells. Regulatory factor(s) are likely to be involved in c...