Identification and characterization of factors affecting cytoskeletal proteins--the mediators of bacterial cell shape

Premature aging and muscular dystrophy have been linked to disorders in the Lamin A/C intermediate filaments (IF). Little is understood about what regulates IFs in human cells. An intermediate-like filament with domains similar to Lamin A/C has recently been identified in an aquatic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus. This intermediate-like filament confers a crescent shape to C. crescentus. We have discovered that the overexpression of a protein (that makes a component of the cell membrane) prevents the proper localization and function of this bacterial intermediate-like filament, yielding cells with a rod-shaped morphology. Both the cell-membrane-related protein and the IF are conserved from bacteria to humans, suggesting that similar mechanisms may be at work in higher organisms, and therefore may play an important role in the development of disease. In this proposal, we aim to identify the function of this cell-membrane-related protein, identify its interacting partners, and characterize its effect on cytoskeletal proteins that determine cell shape.