Monahan Leigh G, Liew Andrew T F, Bottomley Amy L, Harry Elizabeth J
The ithree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Front Microbiol. 2014 Feb 3;5:19. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00019. eCollection 2014.
Spatial regulation of cell division in bacteria has been a focus of research for decades. It has been well studied in two model rod-shaped organisms, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, with the general belief that division site positioning occurs as a result of the combination of two negative regulatory systems, Min and nucleoid occlusion. These systems influence division by preventing the cytokinetic Z ring from forming anywhere other than midcell. However, evidence is accumulating for the existence of additional mechanisms that are involved in controlling Z ring positioning both in these organisms and in several other bacteria. In some cases the decision of where to divide is solved by variations on a common evolutionary theme, and in others completely different proteins and mechanisms are involved. Here we review the different ways bacteria solve the problem of finding the right place to divide. It appears that a one-size-fits-all model does not apply, and that individual species have adapted a division-site positioning mechanism that best suits their lifestyle, environmental niche and mode of growth to ensure equal partitioning of DNA for survival of the next generation.
几十年来，细菌细胞分裂的空间调控一直是研究的重点。在两种典型的杆状生物——大肠杆菌和枯草芽孢杆菌中，这一过程已得到充分研究，人们普遍认为分裂位点的定位是两种负调控系统（Min系统和类核阻隔）共同作用的结果。这些系统通过阻止细胞分裂的Z环在细胞中部以外的任何地方形成来影响细胞分裂。然而，越来越多的证据表明，在这些生物以及其他几种细菌中，存在着其他参与控制Z环定位的机制。在某些情况下，细胞通过对共同进化主题的变体来决定分裂位置，而在其他情况下，则涉及完全不同的蛋白质和机制。在这里，我们回顾了细菌解决找到合适分裂位置这一问题的不同方式。似乎并不存在一个适用于所有情况的模型，各个物种都采用了最适合其生活方式、环境生态位和生长模式的分裂位点定位机制，以确保DNA的平均分配，从而使下一代得以生存。
