scholarly journals Two-Step Assembly Dynamics of the Bacillussubtilis Divisome

2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (13) ◽  
pp. 4186-4194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Gamba ◽  
Jan-Willem Veening ◽  
Nigel J. Saunders ◽  
Leendert W. Hamoen ◽  
Richard A. Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Localization Pattern ◽  
Ftsz Ring ◽  
Time Lapse Microscopy ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Posttranscriptional Level

ABSTRACT Cell division in bacteria is carried out by about a dozen proteins which assemble at midcell and form a complex known as the divisome. To study the dynamics and temporal hierarchy of divisome assembly in Bacillus subtilis, we have examined the in vivo localization pattern of a set of division proteins fused to green fluorescent protein in germinating spores and vegetative cells. Using time series and time-lapse microscopy, we show that the FtsZ ring assembles early and concomitantly with FtsA, ZapA, and EzrA. After a time delay of at least 20% of the cell cycle, a second set of division proteins, including GpsB, FtsL, DivIB, FtsW, Pbp2B, and DivIVA, are recruited to midcell. Together, our data provide in vivo evidence for two-step assembly of the divisome. Interestingly, overproduction of FtsZ advances the temporal assembly of EzrA but not of DivIVA, suggesting that a signal different from that of FtsZ polymerization drives the assembly of late divisome proteins. Microarray analysis shows that FtsZ depletion or overexpression does not significantly alter the transcription of division genes, supporting the hypothesis that cell division in B. subtilis is mainly regulated at the posttranscriptional level.

Live imaging of Runx1 expression in the dorsal aorta tracks the emergence of blood progenitors from endothelial cells

Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (6) ◽  
pp. 909-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enid Yi Ni Lam ◽  
Christopher J. Hall ◽  
Philip S. Crosier ◽  
Kathryn E. Crosier ◽  
Maria Vega Flores
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Living Organism ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Dorsal Aorta ◽  
Transgenic Zebrafish ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Abstract Blood cells of an adult vertebrate are continuously generated by hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that originate during embryonic life within the aorta-gonad-mesonephros region. There is now compelling in vivo evidence that HSCs are generated from aortic endothelial cells and that this process is critically regulated by the transcription factor Runx1. By time-lapse microscopy of Runx1-enhanced green fluorescent protein transgenic zebrafish embryos, we were able to capture a subset of cells within the ventral endothelium of the dorsal aorta, as they acquire hemogenic properties and directly emerge as presumptive HSCs. These nascent hematopoietic cells assume a rounded morphology, transiently occupy the subaortic space, and eventually enter the circulation via the caudal vein. Cell tracing showed that these cells subsequently populated the sites of definitive hematopoiesis (thymus and kidney), consistent with an HSC identity. HSC numbers depended on activity of the transcription factor Runx1, on blood flow, and on proper development of the dorsal aorta (features in common with mammals). This study captures the earliest events of the transition of endothelial cells to a hemogenic endothelium and demonstrates that embryonic hematopoietic progenitors directly differentiate from endothelial cells within a living organism.

scholarly journals A Ras-like GTPase Is Involved in Hyphal Growth Guidance in the Filamentous Fungus Ashbya gossypii

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 4622-4632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmina Bauer ◽  
Philipp Knechtle ◽  
Jürgen Wendland ◽  
Hanspeter Helfer ◽  
Peter Philippsen
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Hyphal Growth ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Growth Direction ◽  
Ashbya Gossypii ◽  
Growth Guidance ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Hyphal Tip

Characteristic features of morphogenesis in filamentous fungi are sustained polar growth at tips of hyphae and frequent initiation of novel growth sites (branches) along the extending hyphae. We have begun to study regulation of this process on the molecular level by using the model fungus Ashbya gossypii. We found that the A. gossypii Ras-like GTPase Rsr1p/Bud1p localizes to the tip region and that it is involved in apical polarization of the actin cytoskeleton, a determinant of growth direction. In the absence of RSR1/BUD1, hyphal growth was severely slowed down due to frequent phases of pausing of growth at the hyphal tip. During pausing events a hyphal tip marker, encoded by the polarisome component AgSPA2, disappeared from the tip as was shown by in vivo time-lapse fluorescence microscopy of green fluorescent protein-labeled AgSpa2p. Reoccurrence of AgSpa2p was required for the resumption of hyphal growth. In the Agrsr1/bud1Δ deletion mutant, resumption of growth occurred at the hyphal tip in a frequently uncoordinated manner to the previous axis of polarity. Additionally, hyphal filaments in the mutant developed aberrant branching sites by mislocalizing AgSpa2p thus distorting hyphal morphology. These results define AgRsr1p/Bud1p as a key regulator of hyphal growth guidance.

scholarly journals Flagellar Morphogenesis: Protein Targeting and Assembly in the Paraflagellar Rod of Trypanosomes

1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 8191-8200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Bastin ◽  
Thomas H. MacRae ◽  
Susan B. Francis ◽  
Keith R. Matthews ◽  
Keith Gull
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Trypanosoma Brucei ◽  
Protein Targeting ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Green Fluorescent Protein Reporter ◽  
Mutant Proteins ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Fluorescent Protein Reporter

ABSTRACT The paraflagellar rod (PFR) of the African trypanosomeTrypanosoma brucei represents an excellent model to study flagellum assembly. The PFR is an intraflagellar structure present alongside the axoneme and is composed of two major proteins, PFRA and PFRC. By inducible expression of a functional epitope-tagged PFRA protein, we have been able to monitor PFR assembly in vivo. As T. brucei cells progress through their cell cycle, they possess both an old and a new flagellum. The induction of expression of tagged PFRA in trypanosomes growing a new flagellum provided an excellent marker of newly synthesized subunits. This procedure showed two different sites of addition: a major, polar site at the distal tip of the flagellum and a minor, nonpolar site along the length of the partially assembled PFR. Moreover, we have observed turnover of epitope-tagged PFRA in old flagella that takes place throughout the length of the PFR structure. Expression of truncated PFRA mutant proteins identified a sequence necessary for flagellum localization by import or binding. This sequence was not sufficient to confer full flagellum localization to a green fluorescent protein reporter. A second sequence, necessary for the addition of PFRA protein to the distal tip, was also identified. In the absence of this sequence, the mutant PFRA proteins were localized both in the cytosol and in the flagellum where they could still be added along the length of the PFR. This seven-amino-acid sequence is conserved in all PFRA and PFRC proteins and shows homology to a sequence in the flagellar dynein heavy chain of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

scholarly journals The Positioning and Dynamics of Origins of Replication in the Budding Yeast Nucleus

2001 ◽  
Vol 152 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Heun ◽  
Thierry Laroche ◽  
M.K. Raghuraman ◽  
Susan M. Gasser
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Chromatin Structure ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
G1 Phase ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Origin Firing ◽  
Green Fluorescent

We have analyzed the subnuclear position of early- and late-firing origins of DNA replication in intact yeast cells using fluorescence in situ hybridization and green fluorescent protein (GFP)–tagged chromosomal domains. In both cases, origin position was determined with respect to the nuclear envelope, as identified by nuclear pore staining or a NUP49-GFP fusion protein. We find that in G1 phase nontelomeric late-firing origins are enriched in a zone immediately adjacent to the nuclear envelope, although this localization does not necessarily persist in S phase. In contrast, early firing origins are randomly localized within the nucleus throughout the cell cycle. If a late-firing telomere-proximal origin is excised from its chromosomal context in G1 phase, it remains late-firing but moves rapidly away from the telomere with which it was associated, suggesting that the positioning of yeast chromosomal domains is highly dynamic. This is confirmed by time-lapse microscopy of GFP-tagged origins in vivo. We propose that sequences flanking late-firing origins help target them to the periphery of the G1-phase nucleus, where a modified chromatin structure can be established. The modified chromatin structure, which would in turn retard origin firing, is both autonomous and mobile within the nucleus.

scholarly journals Changes in the Min Oscillation Pattern before and after Cell Birth

2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (16) ◽  
pp. 4134-4142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R. Juarez ◽  
William Margolin
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
The Other ◽  
Cell Pole ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Division Site ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Dividing Cells ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT The Min system regulates the positioning of the cell division site in many bacteria. In Escherichia coli, MinD migrates rapidly from one cell pole to the other. In conjunction with MinC, MinD helps to prevent unwanted FtsZ rings from assembling at the poles and to stabilize their positioning at midcell. Using time-lapse microscopy of growing and dividing cells expressing a gfp-minD fusion, we show that green fluorescent protein (GFP)-MinD often paused at midcell in addition to at the poles, and the frequency of midcell pausing increased as cells grew longer and cell division approached. At later stages of septum formation, GFP-MinD often paused specifically on only one side of the septum, followed by migration to the other side of the septum or to a cell pole. About the time of septum closure, this irregular pattern often switched to a transient double pole-to-pole oscillation in the daughter cells, which ultimately became a stable double oscillation. The splitting of a single MinD zone into two depends on the developing septum and is a potential mechanism to explain how MinD is distributed equitably to both daughter cells. Septal pausing of GFP-MinD did not require MinC, suggesting that MinC-FtsZ interactions do not drive MinD-septal interactions, and instead MinD recognizes a specific geometric, lipid, and/or protein target at the developing septum. Finally, we observed regular end-to-end oscillation over very short distances along the long axes of minicells, supporting the importance of geometry in MinD localization.

scholarly journals Bacteriophage SP01 Gene Product 56 Inhibits Bacillus subtilis Cell Division by Interacting with FtsL and Disrupting Pbp2B and FtsW Recruitment

2020 ◽  
Vol 203 (2) ◽  
pp. e00463-20
Author(s):  
Amit Bhambhani ◽  
Isabella Iadicicco ◽  
Jules Lee ◽  
Syed Ahmed ◽  
Max Belfatto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Gene Product ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Lytic Bacteriophage ◽  
Cell Wall Synthesis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ftsz Ring ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACTPrevious work identified gene product 56 (gp56), encoded by the lytic bacteriophage SP01, as being responsible for inhibition of Bacillus subtilis cell division during its infection. Assembly of the essential tubulin-like protein FtsZ into a ring-shaped structure at the nascent site of cytokinesis determines the timing and position of division in most bacteria. This FtsZ ring serves as a scaffold for recruitment of other proteins into a mature division-competent structure permitting membrane constriction and septal cell wall synthesis. Here, we show that expression of the predicted 9.3-kDa gp56 of SP01 inhibits later stages of B. subtilis cell division without altering FtsZ ring assembly. Green fluorescent protein-tagged gp56 localizes to the membrane at the site of division. While its localization does not interfere with recruitment of early division proteins, gp56 interferes with the recruitment of late division proteins, including Pbp2b and FtsW. Imaging of cells with specific division components deleted or depleted and two-hybrid analyses suggest that gp56 localization and activity depend on its interaction with FtsL. Together, these data support a model in which gp56 interacts with a central part of the division machinery to disrupt late recruitment of the division proteins involved in septal cell wall synthesis.IMPORTANCE Studies over the past decades have identified bacteriophage-encoded factors that interfere with host cell shape or cytokinesis during viral infection. The phage factors causing cell filamentation that have been investigated to date all act by targeting FtsZ, the conserved prokaryotic tubulin homolog that composes the cytokinetic ring in most bacteria and some groups of archaea. However, the mechanisms of several phage factors that inhibit cytokinesis, including gp56 of bacteriophage SP01 of Bacillus subtilis, remain unexplored. Here, we show that, unlike other published examples of phage inhibition of cytokinesis, gp56 blocks B. subtilis cell division without targeting FtsZ. Rather, it utilizes the assembled FtsZ cytokinetic ring to localize to the division machinery and to block recruitment of proteins needed for septal cell wall synthesis.

Insertion of enhanced green fluorescent protein into the lysozyme gene creates mice with green fluorescent granulocytes and macrophages

Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 719-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Faust ◽  
Florencio Varas ◽  
Louise M. Kelly ◽  
Susanne Heck ◽  
Thomas Graf
Keyword(s):  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Neutrophil Granulocytes ◽  
Egfp Gene ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
Multipotent Progenitors ◽  
Myelomonocytic Cells ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Abstract Pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells have been studied extensively, but the events that occur during their differentiation remain largely uncharted. To develop a system that allows the differentiation of cultured multipotent progenitors by time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, myelomonocytic cells were labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) in vivo. This was achieved by knocking the enhanced GFP (EGFP) gene into the murine lysozyme M (lys) locus and using a targeting vector, which contains a neomycin resistant (neo) gene flanked by LoxP sites and “splinked” ends, to increase the frequency of homologous recombination. Analysis of the blood and bone marrow of thelys-EGFP mice revealed that most myelomonocytic cells, especially mature neutrophil granulocytes, were fluorescence-positive, while cells from other lineages were not. Removal of the neogene through breeding of the mice with the Cre-deleter strain led to an increased fluorescence intensity. Mice with an inactivation of both copies of the lys gene developed normally and were fertile.

Insertion of enhanced green fluorescent protein into the lysozyme gene creates mice with green fluorescent granulocytes and macrophages

Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 719-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Faust ◽  
Florencio Varas ◽  
Louise M. Kelly ◽  
Susanne Heck ◽  
Thomas Graf
Keyword(s):  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Neutrophil Granulocytes ◽  
Egfp Gene ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
Multipotent Progenitors ◽  
Myelomonocytic Cells ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells have been studied extensively, but the events that occur during their differentiation remain largely uncharted. To develop a system that allows the differentiation of cultured multipotent progenitors by time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, myelomonocytic cells were labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) in vivo. This was achieved by knocking the enhanced GFP (EGFP) gene into the murine lysozyme M (lys) locus and using a targeting vector, which contains a neomycin resistant (neo) gene flanked by LoxP sites and “splinked” ends, to increase the frequency of homologous recombination. Analysis of the blood and bone marrow of thelys-EGFP mice revealed that most myelomonocytic cells, especially mature neutrophil granulocytes, were fluorescence-positive, while cells from other lineages were not. Removal of the neogene through breeding of the mice with the Cre-deleter strain led to an increased fluorescence intensity. Mice with an inactivation of both copies of the lys gene developed normally and were fertile.

scholarly journals Time-Lapse Microscopy of Streptomyces coelicolor Growth and Sporulation

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (21) ◽  
pp. 6774-6781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinod Jyothikumar ◽  
Emma J. Tilley ◽  
Rashmi Wali ◽  
Paul R. Herron
Keyword(s):  
Protein Trafficking ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Streptomyces Coelicolor ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Time Lapse Microscopy ◽  
Use Of Time ◽  
Aerial Hyphae ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT Bacteria from the genus Streptomyces are among the most complex of all prokaryotes; not only do they grow as a complex mycelium, they also differentiate to form aerial hyphae before developing further to form spore chains. This developmental heterogeneity of streptomycete microcolonies makes studying the dynamic processes that contribute to growth and development a challenging procedure. As a result, in order to study the mechanisms that underpin streptomycete growth, we have developed a system for studying hyphal extension, protein trafficking, and sporulation by time-lapse microscopy. Through the use of time-lapse microscopy we have demonstrated that Streptomyces coelicolor germ tubes undergo a temporary arrest in their growth when in close proximity to sibling extension sites. Following germination, in this system, hyphae extended at a rate of ∼20 μm h−1, which was not significantly different from the rate at which the apical ring of the cytokinetic protein FtsZ progressed along extending hyphae through a spiraling movement. Although we were able to generate movies for streptomycete sporulation, we were unable to do so for either the erection of aerial hyphae or the early stages of sporulation. Despite this, it was possible to demonstrate an arrest of aerial hyphal development that we suggest is through the depolymerization of FtsZ-enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP). Consequently, the imaging system reported here provides a system that allows the dynamic movement of GFP-tagged proteins involved in growth and development of S. coelicolor to be tracked and their role in cytokinesis to be characterized during the streptomycete life cycle.

scholarly journals The Sudden Recruitment of γ-Tubulin to the Centrosome at the Onset of Mitosis and Its Dynamic Exchange Throughout the Cell Cycle, Do Not Require Microtubules

1999 ◽  
Vol 146 (3) ◽  
pp. 585-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey Khodjakov ◽  
Conly L. Rieder
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Green Fluorescent Protein Fusion ◽  
Protein Fusion ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Dynamic Exchange ◽  
Two Populations

γ-Tubulin is a centrosomal component involved in microtubule nucleation. To determine how this molecule behaves during the cell cycle, we have established several vertebrate somatic cell lines that constitutively express a γ-tubulin/green fluorescent protein fusion protein. Near simultaneous fluorescence and DIC light microscopy reveals that the amount of γ-tubulin associated with the centrosome remains relatively constant throughout interphase, suddenly increases during prophase, and then decreases to interphase levels as the cell exits mitosis. This mitosis-specific recruitment of γ-tubulin does not require microtubules. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) studies reveal that the centrosome possesses two populations of γ-tubulin: one that turns over rapidly and another that is more tightly bound. The dynamic exchange of centrosome-associated γ-tubulin occurs throughout the cell cycle, including mitosis, and it does not require microtubules. These data are the first to characterize the dynamics of centrosome-associated γ-tubulin in vertebrate cells in vivo and to demonstrate the microtubule-independent nature of these dynamics. They reveal that the additional γ-tubulin required for spindle formation does not accumulate progressively at the centrosome during interphase. Rather, at the onset of mitosis, the centrosome suddenly gains the ability to bind greater than three times the amount of γ-tubulin than during interphase.

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