R. Carballido-López

Intrafilament nucleotide exchange in a prokaryotic actin homolog

A genetic screen unveils key molecular steps in the polymerization cycle of the bacterial actin-like MreB

Key mechanistic steps coordinating ATP-driven MreB polymerization and turnover are established and provide a basis for a complete MreB assembly–disassembly cycle and for further elucidating how MreB dynamics contribute to cell-wall organization.

MreB is dispensable for viability but critical for rod shape, motility and biofilm fitness in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

It is shown that deletion of mreB is viable in P. aeruginosa, but results in spherical cells that lose all forms of motility despite retaining flagella, and a previously overlooked polar effect of the in-frame mreB deletion on the downstream mreCD genes is uncovered.