Chromosome Segregation and Dynamics in Vibrio Cholerae

Chromosome partitioning is an essential process for all cells. Eukaryotic cells utilize the mitotic apparatus and regulatory checkpoint systems to faithfully segregate their chromosomes. Much less is known about how bacteria accomplish the same task.<P> The long-term goal of this work is to understand the mechanism and regulation of faithful chromosome segregation in bacteria. My studies focus on Vibrio cholerae, a human pathogen whose genome is divided between two circular chromosomes, each carrying essential genes. Interestingly, each chromosome also encodes its own partitioning system. Here <P> I propose to describe the spatial and temporal behavior of both chromosomes throughout the eel; cycle and characterize the partitioning systems in V. cholera. <P> More specifically, I plan to 1) examine of dynamic movement of both chromosomes in live cells with respect to each other and cell cycle markers such as FtsZ, 2) investigate the localization and specificity of the partitioning proteins, and 3) identify and characterize the chromosomal binding sites for the partitioning genes. <P> This work will make important contributions to our understanding of bacterial chromosome segregation and the biology of V. cholerae, an important human pathogen.