Watching cell division live
Published Date: 4/14/2021
Source: phys.org
Bacteria as unicellular organisms normally reproduce by binary cell division, i.e. the duplication of the entire organism consisting of a single cell. This allows particularly rapid multiplication, such as the exponential growth known from pathogens, and requires the separation and distribution of two identical copies of the bacterial genetic material. An important factor in cell division for a bacterial cell in this process is the position of its division, distributing the genetic information. For many bacterial species, such as the rod-shaped bacterium Escherichia coli, this process has been well researched: Here, a group of proteins known as the Min system acts as a control unit and ensures that the cells divide exactly in the middle.