Pattern formation on membranes and its role in bacterial cell division
Section snippets
Pattern formation inside the cell
Pattern formation is central to biology over all scales, from the molecular processes determining the division of a single cell via the collective behavior of unicellular organisms to the embryonic development of animals and the structure of societies [1]. Despite the apparent complexity of these phenomena, spatiotemporal patterns often emerge from the self-organization of a relatively small number of key components under out-of-equilibrium conditions. Importantly, self-organized patterns are
Self-organization and pattern formation in bacterial cell division
The role of membrane-catalyzed protein patterns in such important processes as cytokinesis is not limited to eukaryotes. In fact, it is now clear that some of the most fundamental processes in bacteria rely on self-organized pattern formation of proteins on membranes. Here, we review how a combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches together with microfabrication and nanofabrication techniques enabled the elucidation of molecular self-organization and pattern formation on membranes during
Toward an integrated view of bacterial cell division
It has now become clear that pattern formation involving the plasma membrane as an assembly platform and catalytic template is crucial for division of E. coli. In vitro reconstitution studies have helped in establishing the underlying mechanisms of MinCDE and FtsZ/FtsA patterns on membranes. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo studies in combination with microfabrication or nanofabrication techniques have shown that Min dynamics are capable of adapting to a wide range of different geometries.
References and recommended reading
Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:
• of special interest
•• of outstanding interest
Acknowledgements
We thank Beatrice Ramm for comments on the manuscript. Simon Kretschmer is currently supported by the collaborative research project (SFB) 1032 ‘Nanoagents for the spatiotemporal control of molecular and cellular reactions’ and was previously supported by a DFG fellowship through the Graduate School of Quantitative Biosciences Munich (QBM).
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