Gain-of-function variants of FtsA form diverse oligomeric structures on lipids and enhance FtsZ protofilament bundling

What is it about?

Bacterial cells divide in half by initially assembling polymers of two ancient cytoskeletal proteins into a belt at mid-cell. Here we show that variants of one of these proteins can assemble into a variety of polymeric structures, which can in turn modulate the polymeric structures made by the other protein. This interplay between the two cytoskeletal proteins reveals potential key steps used by bacterial cells to regulate their division.

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