Cell biology of Archaea
Date
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 15:00 - 16:00
Speaker
Sonja Verena Albers (University Freiburg, Institute of Biology â Microbiology)
Location
Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101)
Series
Seminar/Talk
Host
Martin Loose
Contact
Cell division is the most important process for a cell to generate progenies. Different cell division mechanisms are found within the Archaea. Crenarchaeota, in most instances, divide by homologs of the ESCRT (Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport) system found in Eukarya. On the other hand, almost all members of the Euryarchaeota possess FtsZ homologs, which are extensively studied in bacterial systems and have been shown to be essential for cell division as they are involved in cell restriction.
In contrast to bacteria, most archaea that use FtsZ have two FtsZ homologs with distinct functions. While FtsZ1 is a scaffolding hub, FtsZ2 is important for the actual constriction to yield two new daughter cells. We have identified other essential proteins that are important for the localization of the divisome proteins at mid-cell in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii. I will discuss these important players, their function, and their structures.