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Nucleoid occlusion and bacterial cell division

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 10, pages 8–12 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

The bacterial cell cycle requires the tight regulation and precise coordination of several sophisticated cellular processes. Prominent among them is the formation of the dividing wall or septum, which has to take place at the right time and place to ensure equality of the progeny and integrity of the genome. Nucleoid occlusion is a defence mechanism that prevents the chromosome from being bisected and broken by the division septum. It does so by preventing Z ring formation near the nucleoid, which also helps to determine the location of septation.

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Figure 1: Temporal and spatial regulation of cell division by nucleoid occlusion and the Min system in rod-shaped bacteria.
Figure 2: Models for the action of SlmA.
Figure 3: Binding sites of nucleoid occlusion factors.

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Acknowledgements

Work in the authors' laboratory is funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the European Research Council. The authors thank D. Adams for comments on the manuscript and S.Ishikawa for assisting with the preparation of the S. aureus NBS distribution map.

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  1. Ling Juan Wu and Jeff Errington are at the Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2 4AX, UK.,

    Ling Juan Wu & Jeff Errington

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Correspondence to Jeff Errington.

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Wu, L., Errington, J. Nucleoid occlusion and bacterial cell division. Nat Rev Microbiol 10, 8–12 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2671

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