On-chip reconstitution of an FtsZ-based divisome for synthetic cells

Cell replication is a fascinating biological process that ensures the proliferation of a species via division of a mother cell into two daughter ones. This process in bacteria is performed by a complex protein machinery named the Z-ring, which assembles at the cell mid-plane and promotes progressive membrane constriction down to division. A...

Robustness and accuracy of cell division in Escherichia coli in diverse cell shapes

Cell division in typical rod-shaped bacteria such as Escherichia coli shows a remarkable plasticity in being able to adapt to a variety of irregular cell shapes. Here, we investigate the roles of the Min system and the nucleoid-occlusion factor SlmA in supporting this adaptation. We study “squeezed” E. coli in narrow nanofabricated channels...