- Cytoskeletal Elements in Escherichia coli
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- Assembly Pathways of Cell Division Proteins
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- Regulation and Dynamics of the E. coli Divisome
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An early step in bacterial cytokinesis is the formation of a ring like structure at the site of septation by the
bacterial cell division protein, FtsZ. The dynamic nature of the ring led to the proposal that FtsZ may function as a
cytoskeletal element in prokaryotes, analogous to actin or tubulin in eukaryotes. As a member of Joe Lutkenhaus' group in this department we have shown that FtsZ, like tubulin, binds and hydrolyzes GTP. Importantly, FtsZ forms dynamic
polymers regulated by GTP hydrolysis. We are currently involved in identifying factors that regulate FtsZ polymerization.
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Return to Lutkenhaus' Webpage
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