| Description | MreB proteins are essential for cell-shape maintenance and cell morphogenesis in most non-spherical bacteria [ , ]. Most rod-shaped or non-spherical bacteria possess at least one mreB homologue. In Bacillus subtilis, sidewall elongation during vegetative growth is controlled by three MreB isoforms: MreB, Mbl and MreBH []. MreB proteins are found in rod-shaped bacteria, such as E. coli and B. subtilis, that grow by dispersed intercalation of new wall material along the long axis of the cell, as opposed to those that grow from the cell pole [].The crystal structure of MreB from Thermotoga maritima was resolved using X-ray crystallography, and the results suggested that MreB proteins form long filaments that wrap around the long axis of the cell close to the cell membrane, forming helix-like structures. They act by regulating cell wall synthesis and cell elongation, and thus cell shape. The feedback loops between cell geometry and their localisations may maintain elongated cell shape by targeting cell wall growth to regions of negative cell wall curvature. Filaments rotate around the cell circumference in concert with the cell wall synthesis enzymes. The process is driven by the cell wall synthesis machinery and does not depend on their polymerisation. They organise peptidoglycan synthesis in the lateral cell wall [ , , ]. | Name | Cell shape determining protein MreB |
| Short Name | MreB | Type | Family |
Powered by
Have you tried our InterMine mobile apps?
and interoperation is funded by 
