# Probing the Role of FtsQLB in Regulating Septal Cell Wall Synthesis Activity

> **NIH NIH F32** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $67,582

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Cell wall constriction, the synthesis of new cell wall and the splitting of the old cell wall, is an additional
step during cell division that occurs in walled bacteria. The synthesis and degradation of the cell wall, made of
peptidoglycan (PG), must be highly coordinated because mis-regulation can result in fatal lysis of the cell. The
divisome, a macromolecular complex of over 30 proteins, is responsible for this extremely coordinated process.
FtsZ, a tubulin homolog and GTPase, is an essential divisome protein that begins cell division by polymerizing
into a ring-like structure (Z-ring) at the midcell. This Z-ring acts as a scaffold (known as the Z-track) for other
divisome proteins including the septal PG (sPG) synthase complex, FtsWI, and regulators FtsN and FtsQLB.
Divisome proteins can exit the Z-track onto a second track (sPG-track) where sPG synthesis occurs. This
application proposes to study the role of the FtsQLB complex in regulating the activity of FtsWI in with high
spatiotemporal resolution during cell wall constriction in E. coli. Aim 1 uses single molecule tracking (SMT) and
three-dimensional (3D) superresolution imaging to investigate how FtsQLB is coupled to the Z-track. I will
examine how FtsQLB responds to altered FtsZ dynamics. Aim 2 focuses on the modulation of the sPG synthesis
activity of FtsWI. Using the same SMT and imaging approaches I will determine if FtsQLB is coupled with FtsWI
on the sPG track. Finally, Aim 3 uses superfission and dominant negative mutants to dissect the roles of key
protein-protein interactions of FtsQLB, FtsN, and FtsWI. The use of single-molecule live cell imaging combined
with perturbational analysis will enable me to identify molecular determinants responsible for cell wall
constriction, providing insight into the spatial and temporal regulation of bacterial cell division. Due to the highly
conserved nature of the bacterial cell wall, mechanistic insights learned from this study can be applicable to a
wide range of bacterial species to facilitate the development of antimicrobial drugs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10465566
- **Project number:** 1F32GM143895-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Brooke Marie Britton
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $67,582
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10465566

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10465566, Probing the Role of FtsQLB in Regulating Septal Cell Wall Synthesis Activity (1F32GM143895-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10465566. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*