Structural and biochemical studies reveal a putative FtsZ recognition site on the Z-ring stabilizer ZapD

Abstract

FtsZ, a tubulin homologue, is an essential protein of the Z-ring assembly in bacterial cell division. It consists of two domains, the N-terminal and C-terminal core domains, and has a conserved C-terminal tail region. Lateral interactions between FtsZ protofilaments and several Z-ring associated proteins (Zaps) are necessary for modulating Z-ring formation. ZapD, one of the positive regulators of Z-ring assembly, directly binds to the C-terminal tail of FtsZ and promotes stable Z-ring formation during cytokinesis. To gain structural and functional insights into how ZapD interacts with the C-terminal tail of FtsZ, we solved two crystal structures of ZapD proteins from Salmonella typhimurium (StZapD) and Escherichia coli (EcZapD) at a 2.6 and 3.1 Å resolution, respectively. Several conserved residues are clustered on the concave sides of the StZapD and EcZapD dimers, the suggested FtsZ binding site. Modeled structures of EcZapD-EcFtsZ and subsequent binding studies using bio-layer interferometry also identified the EcFtsZ binding site on EcZapD. The structural insights and the results of bio layer interferometry assays suggest that the two FtsZ binding sites of ZapD dimer might be responsible for the binding of ZapD dimer to two protofilaments to hold them together.