FtsZ and nucleoid segregation during outgrowth of Bacillus subtilis spores

Abstract

Spores of a strain of Bacillus subtilis in which ftsZ was under the control of the spac promoter were allowed to germinate and grow out in the presence of increasing concentrations of isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). Over the IPTG concentration range of 0 to 10(-3) M, the level of FtsZ from the time when the first nucleoid segregations were occurring, measured in Western blot (immunoblot) transfer experiments, varied between 15 and 100% of that in the wild type. Septation was completely blocked (for at least several hours) when the amount of FtsZ was < 30% of the wild-type level. At all levels of ftsZ induction, the timing and rate of segregation of nucleoids following the first round of replication were unaltered. It is concluded that FtsZ has no direct role in nucleoid segregation in this situation.