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Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyChromosome Dynamics in Bacteria: Triggering Replication at the Opposite Location and Segregation in the Opposite DirectionBacteria can accomplish surprising levels of organization in the absence of membrane organelles by constructing subcellular asymmetric protein gradients. These gradients are composed of regulators that can either trigger or inhibit cell cycle events from distinct cell poles. In Caulobacter crescentus, the onset of chromosome replication and segregation from the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Stringent Response Inhibits DNA Replication Initiation in E. coli by Modulating Supercoiling of oriCTo survive bouts of starvation, cells must inhibit DNA replication. In bacteria, starvation triggers production of a signaling molecule called ppGpp (guanosine tetraphosphate) that helps reprogram cellular physiology, including inhibiting new rounds of DNA replication. While ppGpp has been known to block replication initiation in Escherichia coli for decades, the...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCoordination of Polyploid Chromosome Replication with Cell Size and Growth in a CyanobacteriumPolyploidy has evolved many times across the kingdom of life. The relationship between cell growth and chromosome replication in bacteria has been studied extensively in monoploid model organisms such as Escherichia coli but not in polyploid organisms. Our study of the polyploid cyanobacterium...