BACTERIAL MINICELL MUTANTS

本项目的长期目标是了解 细菌细胞用来将分裂位点置于其 细胞内的适当位置。 为了实现这一目标， 将研究细菌小细胞基因座（minB），因为突变 该位点导致分裂隔膜的异常放置。 这些研究是基于最近的工作，表明miniB基因座 控制着几个影响分裂过程的基因 的 研究将使用遗传学，生物化学和 免疫电镜定位minB基因产物， 细胞，以确定它们之间的相互作用， 细胞分裂机制的其他蛋白质成分， 其中一种蛋白质可能的酶功能， 研究minB系统与另一个基因的相互作用 产品（dicB），其对细胞分裂过程的影响可能是 由minB系统介导。

The long-range objective of this project is to understand the mechanism used by bacterial cells to place the division site at its proper location within the cell. To approach this goal, the bacterial minicell locus (minB) will be studied since mutation of this locus results in aberrant placement of the division septum. The studies are based on recent work showing that the miniB locus codes for several genes that affect the division process. The studies will use a combination of genetics, biochemistry and immunoelectronmicroscopy to localize the minB gene products within the cell, to identify their interactions with each other and with other protein components of the cell division machinery, to probe for possible enzymatic functions of one of the proteins, and to examine the interaction of the minB system with another gene product (dicB) whose effect on the cell division process is likely to be mediated by the minB system.