During cell division, how do bacteria know where the middle of the cell is?

Did you actually think before how bacteria know where the middle of the cell is? More interestingly, have you ever thought how the cell makes sure that both daughter cells receive all the genetic information?

The same question had come in my mind a few months before. I was so curious to know the answers of these secret and eventually got to know the real science behind this secret. So here I have explained answer of the first question.

There are lots of mechanical apparatus exist in bacterial cell that carried out numerous types of unique functions inside the bacterial body. Fts proteins are one of them that interact inside bacterial cells to form a cell-division apparatus known as the divisome. Structural formation of divisiome started to form when FtsZ molecules is attached in a ring precisely around the center of the cell. The special feature of this ring is to regulate what will eventually become the cell-division plane.

Now, the question is why the ring forms in the space between the duplicated nucleoids? It is because, before segregating nucleoids, they effectively block formation of the FtsZ ring. Exact location of the midpoint of a cell by FtsZ is identified by a group of proteins which are called Min proteins. Mini proteins are especially included MinC, MinD, and MinE. On the inner surface of the cytoplasmic membrane a spiral structures are formed by Min D proteins and it oscillates back and forth from pole to pole. Another function of MinD is to localize MinC to the cytoplasmic membrane. Together, MinC and MinD prevent the formation of ring structure and thus inhibit cell division. MinE can also able to oscillate from one polar region to another and by sweeping MinC and MinD aside as it moves along. At this stage, during their oscillation cycle, MinC and MinD stay longer at the poles than other areas, By this time in the center of the cell occupy the lowest concentration of these proteins. As a consequence, in the cell center a suitable opportunity create for FtsZ ring assembly and the FtsZ ring thus recognize the most wanted division plane. By this method, the Min proteins confirm that the divisome only forms at the center of the cell not the cell poles.

After reviewing this explanation if you think that you have queries or have another nice idea so please don’t feel hesitate to share your valuable thoughts with us. You are always welcome to our blog to give your comments, suggestions or even you can share your writing in our site.

Written by:

Md. Rayhan Mahmud

Research student, Department of Ecology and Population Genetics

University of Oulu, Finland

M.Sc. in Microbiology, Jagannath University, Bangladesh