Mechanisms and evolution of FtsZ regulation

Bacteria rely on an internal division machine to split into two daughter cells. At its center is the protein FtsZ, which assembles into a dynamic ring that define where the cell divides. Although FtsZ is essential and widely studied, scientists still do not fully understand how this ring forms, how it stays organized, and how other molecules control its properties. This project aims to uncover how bacteria and their viruses (bacteriophages) regulate the formation and behavior of the FtsZ ring. To do so, we rebuild this system outside the cell using purified components. This allows us to directly observe how FtsZ filaments form, grow, and reorganizeinsights that are difficult to obtain inside living cells. The project combines biochemical methods, advanced fluorescence microscopy with modern computational tools that predict protein structures and potential interaction partners, helping us discover previously unknown regulators of FtsZ. The research has three main goals: Understand known regulators: How do they alter FtsZ filament dynamics? Why do some prevent the division ring from forming? Identify new regulators: Many bacterial and phage proteins have unknown functions. Some of them may specifically influence cell division. Study physical obstacles: Inside a cell, FtsZ encounters other structures. We investigate how such barriers shape the alignment and motion of FtsZ filaments. By linking molecular interactions with the large-scale organization of the division machinery, this project will provide a deeper understanding of one of the most fundamental processes in biology. In the long term, these insights may also contribute to new antimicrobial approaches that interfere with bacterial cell division, offering alternative strategies to combat antibiotic-resistant infections.