Pathway · 3 proteins
Division scaffold
FtsZ/FtsA annotations identify core cytokinetic structural components.
How it works
- FtsZ and FtsA annotations identify components of a bacterial division scaffold. FtsZ is a nucleotide-dependent polymer-forming protein, while FtsA is a membrane-associated partner.
- In representative bacterial systems, FtsZ polymers organize a division zone and FtsA helps connect that scaffold to the membrane and additional division machinery.
- A scaffold is not a complete division machine: membrane constriction and wall remodeling require other components. The exact dynamics and partners must be verified for the reference organism.
Grouped by the atlas’s curated pathway map. The table order is not a proven reaction order.
Its proteins
| Protein | EC | Reaction (UniProt) | Metal or cluster | Amino acids | Certainty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncharacterized protein | — | — | — | 344 | System only |
| Cell division protein FtsA | — | — | — | 416 | System only |
| Cell division protein FtsZ | — | — | — | 367 | Step named |
Origins
How could a cell find its middle and pinch there before FtsZ existed?
None of the books searched describes a prebiotic way for a compartment to divide at its middle. Vesicle experiments show growth and splitting by physical forces, without control over where the split happens.
FtsZ forms a ring at the future division site and recruits the other division proteins, and Min proteins keep the ring from forming near the ends. Three proteins in this scaffold set the place, and the rest of division depends on them.
Koonin notes that even the simplest known cells already have complex systems for cell division.
From the books: Koonin, The Logic of Chance, PDF p. 223.
The wider question for this part of the cell: origins for dividing into two cells.
Sources
- Atlas pathway grouping from the VF5 reference-genome system map (Deckert et al. 1998; Braakman & Smith 2014)
Other pathways in this group: Peptidoglycan precursors · Wall synthesis and remodeling · Envelope assembly and division · Division-associated membrane parts · Peptidoglycan biosynthesis · Not yet placed in a pathway