Budding and asymmetric cell division in Hyphomonas neptunium (P04)

• Subject Area: Metabolism, Biochemistry and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Term: from 2017 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 269423233

In bacteria, ParB homologs play a central role in the partitioning of replicated DNA to the daughter cells. However, the precise mechanism underlying their function still remains unclear. Recent work from our group and others revealed that members of this protein family bind and hydrolyze the ribonucleotide CTP to bind reversibly to DNA, thus constituting a new class of nucleotide-depen¬dent molecular switches. In this project, we build on these advances and aim to obtain a compre¬hensive and quantitative mechanistic understanding of the role of ParB in chro-mosome seg¬regation and the coordination of this process with cell division. Moreover, we will set out to identify thus-far uncharac¬ter¬ized proteins that share the switch-like properties of ParB but control cellular pro¬cesses different from DNA segregation. Together, these studies will provide detailed insight into the role of CTP-dependent molecular switches in bacterial cell biology.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 174: Spatiotemporal dynamics of bacterial cells
• Applicant Institution: Philipps-Universität Marburg
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Martin Rudolf Thanbichler