Speaker: Brandon Marshall

Title: Modelling FtsZ Ring Formation during the Early Stages of E. coli Cell
Division

Abstract:
FtsZ, a prokaryotic homologue of eukaryotic tubulin, is a fundamental
cell division protein found in the vast majority of bacterial species
and in many members of the archaea kingdom. It is a major constituent
of the Z ring, a macromolecular structure which forms at the midplane
of the cell during the early stages of bacterial cell division.
Although extensive in vitro studies have characterized the structure
and polymerization processes of FtsZ, the organization of subunits
within the Z ring remains unknown. Furthermore, the rapid assembly of
the Z ring prior to cell division suggests a dynamic interaction
between cytosolic monomers and homo-oligomers with the membrane-bound
FtsZ structure. 

I will present a stochastic model that describes the basic elements of 
FtsZ dynamics in E. coli cells. The model is used to elucidate
time-scale arguments that influence and constrain Z ring assembly
mechanisms. The analysis developed here predicts that rapid Z ring
formation is highly dependent on the equilibrium behaviour of the FtsZ 
polymer length distribution in the cytosol.