DNA segregation ensures that cell offspring receive at least one copy of each DNA molecule, or replicon, after their replication. This important cellular process includes different phases leading to the physical separation of the replicons and their movement toward the future daughter cells. Here, we review these phases and processes in enterobacteria with emphasis on the molecular mechanisms at play and their controls.
Keywords: DNA segregation; FtsK; MatP; ParAB; TopoIV; XerCD; cell-cycle; partition; replicon.