mreC [2019-07-08 10:25:10]

MreC is a cell shape determining protein, it couples the cytosolic MreB and MreB-like proteins to the extracellular peptidoglycan-synthesizing machinery

Locus: BSU28020

Isoelectric point: 6.25

Molecular weight: 32.00 kDa

Protein length: 290 aa

Gene length: 873 bp

Function: cell shape determation

Product: cell shape-determining protein

Essential: yes

Synonyms

Genomic Context

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Categories containing this gene/protein

• Cellular processes → Cell envelope and cell division → Cell shape
• Lifestyles → Coping with stress → Cell envelope stress proteins (controlled by SigM, V, W, X, Y)
• Groups of genes → Essential genes
• Groups of genes → Membrane proteins

Gene

Coordinates: 2,859,832 2,860,704

Phenotypes of a mutant

• mreC is essential under normal conditions PubMed.
• Depletion of MreC leads to a progressive increase in the width and a decrease in the length of the cell. This shape defect is consistent with a role for mreC in cell wall synthesis during elongation and has a similar phenotype to other genes with roles in elongation like rodA and the redundant gene pair pbpA and pbpH.
• Electron microscopy of cells depleted of MreC shows regions of the cell where a thick and irregular cell wall has accumulated PubMed.
• mreC can be deleted provided that 0.5 M sucrose and 20 mM Mg(2 ) is provided in the media, mreC is therefore conditionally essential. The phenotype of the mreC deletion in these conditions is one characterised by extreamly fat and bloated cells that tend to grow in clusters PubMed.

The protein

Catalyzed reaction/ biological activity

• None/ structural protein

Protein family

• mreC family (according to Swiss-Prot) COG1793

Domains

• Intracellular N-terminus, transmembrane domain, Coiled coil domain and C-terminal beta-sheet domain.

Structure

• 2J5U: MreC from Listeria monocytogenes PubMed
• 2QF4: MreC monomer from Streptococcus pneumoniae PubMed
• 2QF5: MreC dimer from Streptococcus pneumoniae PubMed

Localization

• trans-membrane protein PubMed
• during logarithmic growth, MreD forms discrete patches thst move processively along peripheral tracks perpendicular to the cell axis PubMed
• forms transverse bands as cells enter the stationary phase PubMed
• reports on helical structures formed by MreC PubMed seem to be misinterpretation of data PubMed

Expression and Regulation

Operons

• Genes: mreB-mreC-mreD-minC-minD
  Description: PubMed

  Sigma factors

  • SigA: sigma factor, promoter p1, upstream of Maf PubMed, in SigA regulon
  • SigM: sigma factor, promoter p2, within Maf PubMed, in SigM regulon
  • SigH: sigma factor, promoter p4, upstream of MinC PubMed, in SigH regulon

  Regulatory mechanism

  • ComK: activation, PubMed, in ComK regulon

  Regulation

  • constitutively expressed PubMed

• Genes: maf-radC-mreB-mreC-mreD-minC-minD
  Description: PubMed

  Sigma factors

  • SigM: sigma factor, promoter p2 within Maf PubMed, in SigM regulon
  • SigA: sigma factor, promoter p1, upstream of Maf PubMed, in SigA regulon

  Regulatory mechanism

  • ComK: activation, PubMed, in ComK regulon

  Regulation

  • constitutively expressed PubMed

Biological materials

Mutant

• A non-polar inframe deletion strain named 3481 and a xylose dependent conditional mutant named 3461 is avaliable from the Errington lab PubMed.

GFP fusion

• A functional N-terminal GFP fusion has been made where the fusion protein is the only copy of the gene in the cell: strain 3417 PubMed.

Antibody

• antisera raised in rabit is avaliable from the Errington lab.

Labs working on this gene/protein

• Jeff Errington, Newcastle University, UK homepage
• Peter Graumann, Freiburg University, Germany homepage

References

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