Abstract
Faithful chromosome segregation is an essential component of cell division in all organisms. The eukaryotic mitotic machinery uses the cytoskeleton to move specific chromosomal regions. To investigate the potential role of the actin-like MreB protein in bacterial chromosome segregation, we first demonstrate that MreB is the direct target of the small molecule A22. We then demonstrate that A22 completely blocks the movement of newly replicated loci near the origin of replication but has no qualitative or quantitative effect on the segregation of other loci if added after origin segregation. MreB selectively interacts, directly or indirectly, with origin-proximal regions of the chromosome, arguing that the origin-proximal region segregates via an MreB-dependent mechanism not used by the rest of the chromosome.
Publication types
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Actins / metabolism
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Caulobacter crescentus / drug effects
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Caulobacter crescentus / genetics*
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Caulobacter crescentus / metabolism*
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Cell Proliferation / drug effects
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Chromosome Segregation / drug effects
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Chromosome Segregation / physiology*
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Chromosomes, Bacterial / drug effects
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Chromosomes, Bacterial / genetics*
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Chromosomes, Bacterial / metabolism*
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Cytoskeleton / metabolism
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DNA Replication / drug effects
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DNA Replication / physiology
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Escherichia coli Proteins / drug effects
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Escherichia coli Proteins / metabolism*
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Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / drug effects
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Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / genetics
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Thiourea / analogs & derivatives*
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Thiourea / pharmacology
Substances
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Actins
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Escherichia coli Proteins
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MreB protein, E coli
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2,6-dichlorobenzylthiopseudourea
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Thiourea