Division without Binary Fission: Cell Division in the FtsZ-Less <i>Chlamydia</i>
Scot P. Ouellette, Junghoon Lee, John V. Cox
Abstract
Chlamydia is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that has significantly reduced its genome size in adapting to its intracellular niche. Among the genes that Chlamydia has eliminated is ftsZ , encoding the central organizer of cell division that directs cell wall synthesis in the division septum. These Gram-negative pathogens have cell envelopes that lack peptidoglycan (PG), yet they use PG for cell division purposes. Recent research into chlamydial PG synthesis, components of the chlamydial divisome, and the mechanism of chlamydial division have significantly advanced our understanding of these processes in a unique and important pathogen.
Topics & Concepts
FtsZBiologyCell divisionPeptidoglycanObligateIntracellularCell biologyChlamydia trachomatisMicrobiologyNucleoidPathogenChlamydiaCellIntracellular parasiteBacterial cell structureGeneticsGeneBacteriaVirologyEscherichia coliBotanyReproductive tract infections researchUrinary and Genital Oncology StudiesUrinary Tract Infections Management