Roles of ATP Hydrolysis by FtsEX and Interaction with FtsA in Regulation of Septal Peptidoglycan Synthesis and Hydrolysis

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Cytokinesis in Gram-negative bacteria requires coordinated invagination of the three layers of the cell envelope; otherwise, cells become sensitive to hydrophobic antibiotics and can even undergo cell lysis. In E. coli , the ABC transporter FtsEX couples the synthesis and hydrolysis of the stress-bearing peptidoglycan layer at the septum by interacting with FtsA and EnvC, respectively. ATP hydrolysis by FtsEX is critical for its function, but the reason why is not clear. Here, we find that in the absence of ATP hydrolysis, FtsEX blocks septal PG synthesis similarly to cephalexin. However, an FtsEX ATPase mutant, under conditions where it cannot block division, rescues ftsEX phenotypes as long as a partially redundant cell separation system is present. Furthermore, we find that the FtsEX-FtsA interaction is important for efficient cell separation.