Polymerization of a ring-like cytoskeletal structure, the Z-ring, at midcell is a highly conserved feature in virtually all bacteria. The Z-ring is composed of short protofilaments of the tubulin homolog FtsZ, randomly arranged and held together through lateral interactions. In vitro, lateral associations between FtsZ protofilaments are stabilized by crowding agents, high concentrations of divalent cations, or in some cases, low pH. In vivo, the last 4–10 amino acid residues at the C-terminus of FtsZ (the C-terminal variable region, CTV) have been implicated in mediating lateral associations between FtsZ protofilaments through charge shielding. Multiple Z-ring associated proteins (Zaps), also promote lateral interactions between FtsZ protofilaments to stabilize the FtsZ ring in vivo. Here we characterize the complementary role/s of the CTV of E. coli FtsZ and the FtsZ-ring stabilizing protein ZapD, in FtsZ assembly. We show that the net charge of the FtsZ CTV not only affects FtsZ protofilament bundling, confirming earlier observations, but likely also the length of the FtsZ protofilaments in vitro. The CTV residues also have important consequences for Z-ring assembly and interaction with ZapD in the cell. ZapD requires the FtsZ CTV region for interaction with FtsZ in vitro and for localization to midcell in vivo. Our data suggest a mechanism in which the CTV residues, particularly K380, facilitate a conformation for the conserved carboxy-terminal residues in FtsZ, that lie immediately N-terminal to the CTV, to enable optimal contact with ZapD. Further, phylogenetic analyses suggest a correlation between the nature of FtsZ CTV residues and the presence of ZapD in the β- γ-proteobacterial species.
In Escherichia coli cell division is driven by the tubulin-like GTPase, FtsZ, which forms the cytokinetic Z-ring. The Z-ring serves as a dynamic platform for the assembly of the multiprotein divisome, which catalyzes membrane cleavage to create equal daughter cells. Several proteins effect FtsZ assembly, thereby providing spatiotemporal control over cell division. One important class of FtsZ interacting/regulatory proteins is the Z-ring-associated proteins, Zaps, which typically modulate Z-ring formation by increasing lateral interactions between FtsZ protofilaments. Strikingly, these Zap proteins show no discernable sequence similarity, suggesting that they likely harbor distinct structures and mechanisms. The 19.8-kDa ZapC in particular shows no homology to any known protein. To gain insight into ZapC function, we determined its structure to 2.15 Å and performed genetic and biochemical studies. ZapC is a monomer composed of two domains, an N-terminal ␣/ region and a C-terminal twisted  barrel-like domain. The structure contains two pockets, one on each domain. The N-domain pocket is lined with residues previously implicated to be important for ZapC function as an FtsZ bundler. The adjacent C-domain pocket contains a hydrophobic center surrounded by conserved basic residues. Mutagenesis analyses indicate that this pocket is critical for FtsZ binding. An extensive FtsZ binding surface is consistent with the fact that, unlike many FtsZ regulators, ZapC binds the large FtsZ globular core rather than C-terminal tail, and the presence of two adjacent pockets suggests possible mechanisms for ZapC-mediated FtsZ bundling.In Escherichia coli, the bacterial tubulin-like GTPase, FtsZ, drives cell division. Unlike the microtubule structures formed by tubulin, FtsZ forms protofilaments that combine to create a ring-like structure at midcell called the Z-ring, which mediates cell division (1-5). FtsZ is an ancient and highly conserved protein that is responsible for cell division in most bacteria as well as many archaea, all chloroplasts, and the mitochondria of primitive eukaryotes (4). FtsZ is made up of five main domains: an N-terminal region, which is largely disordered, a globular core that contains the nucleotide binding site and the T7 synergy loop needed for nucleotide hydrolysis, a long linker of variable sequence and length (ϳ40 -257 residues), a short ϳ15-residue C-terminal tail (CTT) 3 that contains a highly conserved set of residues critical for the docking of several FtsZ interacting proteins, and a more recently defined C-terminal variable (CTV) region (4, 6). Linear protofilaments are created by GTP binding to the globular domains of FtsZ between different protomers (1,7,8). The dynamic assembly and disassembly of protofilaments resulting from cycles of GTP binding and hydrolysis leads to Z-ring remodeling that is thought to contribute to the constrictive force required for cell division (4, 9, 10).In E. coli the intracellular levels of FtsZ remain essentially the same throughout the cell cycle and exceed...
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