Biogenesis of the Escherichia coli Cell Division System (original) (raw)

1. L.I. Rothfield,
2. W.R. Cook, and
3. P.A. de Boer
4. Department of Microbiology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06032

Excerpt

The cell cycle of Escherichia coli consists of a division cycle that leads to formation of the division septum at midcell and a DNA cycle that leads to the replication and segregation of the bacterial chromosome. A considerable amount has been learned about the division cycle through the combined use of genetic and cell biological techniques. In this paper, we discuss the division cycle as a classic problem in cell differentiation, in which the coordinate and sequential action of a number of gene products leads to the formation of a complex differentiated structure at a preselected site within a cell.

Life History of the Division Site

The history of the division site begins long before the onset of septum formation, as shown by the appearance of a differentiated structure at the future division site (MacAlister et al. 1983; Cook et al. 1986, 1989). The preseptation structure consists of two periseptal...