TY - JOUR
T1 - RodZ links MreB to cell wall synthesis to mediate MreB rotation and robust morphogenesis
AU - Morgenstein, Randy M.
AU - Bratton, Benjamin P.
AU - Nguyen, Jeffrey P.
AU - Ouzounov, Nikolay
AU - Shaevitz, Joshua William
AU - Gitai, Zemer
PY - 2015/10/6
Y1 - 2015/10/6
N2 - The rod shape of most bacteria requires the actin homolog, MreB. Whereas MreB was initially thought to statically define rod shape, recent studies found that MreB dynamically rotates around the cell circumference dependent on cell wall synthesis. However, the mechanism by which cytoplasmic MreB is linked to extracytoplasmic cell wall synthesis and the function of this linkage for morphogenesis has remained unclear. Here we demonstrate that the transmembrane protein RodZ mediates MreB rotation by directly or indirectly coupling MreB to cell wall synthesis enzymes. Furthermore, we map the RodZ domains that link MreB to cell wall synthesis and identify mreB mutants that suppress the shape defect of ΔrodZ without restoring rotation, uncoupling rotation from rod-like growth. Surprisingly, MreB rotation is dispensable for rodlike shape determination under standard laboratory conditions but is required for the robustness of rod shape and growth under conditions of cell wall stress.
AB - The rod shape of most bacteria requires the actin homolog, MreB. Whereas MreB was initially thought to statically define rod shape, recent studies found that MreB dynamically rotates around the cell circumference dependent on cell wall synthesis. However, the mechanism by which cytoplasmic MreB is linked to extracytoplasmic cell wall synthesis and the function of this linkage for morphogenesis has remained unclear. Here we demonstrate that the transmembrane protein RodZ mediates MreB rotation by directly or indirectly coupling MreB to cell wall synthesis enzymes. Furthermore, we map the RodZ domains that link MreB to cell wall synthesis and identify mreB mutants that suppress the shape defect of ΔrodZ without restoring rotation, uncoupling rotation from rod-like growth. Surprisingly, MreB rotation is dispensable for rodlike shape determination under standard laboratory conditions but is required for the robustness of rod shape and growth under conditions of cell wall stress.
KW - Bacterial cell shape
KW - Bacterial cytoskeleton
KW - Cell growth
KW - Cytoskeleton dynamics
KW - Robust rod shape
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84943302544&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84943302544&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1509610112
DO - 10.1073/pnas.1509610112
M3 - Article
C2 - 26396257
AN - SCOPUS:84943302544
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 112
SP - 12510
EP - 12515
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 40
ER -