Treadmilling FtsZ polymers drive the directional movement of sPG-synthesis enzymes via a Brownian ratchet mechanism

Abstract

FtsZ, a highly conserved bacterial tubulin GTPase homolog, is a central component of the cell division machinery in nearly all walled bacteria. FtsZ polymerizes at the future division site and recruits > 30 proteins that assemble into a macromolecular complex termed divisome. Many of these divisome proteins are involved in septal cell wall peptidoglycan (sPG) synthesis. Recent studies found that FtsZ polymers undergo GTP hydrolysis-coupled treadmilling dynamics along the septum circumference of dividing cells, which drives processive movements of sPG synthesis enzymes. The mechanism of FtsZ treadmilling-driven directional transport of sPG enzymes and its precise role in bacterial cell division are unknown. Combining theoretical modeling and experimental testing, we show that FtsZ treadmilling drives the directional movement of sPG-synthesis enzymes via a Brownian ratchet mechanism, where the shrinking end of FtsZ polymers introduces an asymmetry to rectify diffusions of single enzyme molecules into persistent end-tracking movement. Furthermore, we show that processivity of this directional movement hinges on the balance between the enzyme’s diffusion and FtsZ’s treadmilling speed, which provides a mechanism to control the level of available enzymes for active sPG synthesis, explaining the distinct roles of FtsZ treadmilling in modulating cell wall constriction rate observed in different bacterial species.