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Bacterial physiology

Linking DNA replication to the Z ring

Nature Microbiology volume 6, pages 1108–1109 (2021)Cite this article

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To grow and divide properly, bacteria need to coordinate DNA replication with cell division. A recent study identifies CcrZ as a protein from Streptococcus pneumoniae that links these two processes by interacting with FtsZ, the orchestrator of cell division, and modulating the activity of DnaA, the initiator of DNA replication.

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Fig. 1: Contrasting timing of initiation of replication and Z-ring assembly between E. coli and S. pneumoniae.

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  1. Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA

    Joe Lutkenhaus

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  1. Joe Lutkenhaus
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Correspondence to Joe Lutkenhaus.

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Lutkenhaus, J. Linking DNA replication to the Z ring. Nat Microbiol 6, 1108–1109 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-021-00951-7

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