article published yes Philipp Radler author 40136C2A-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0001-9198-2182 Martin Loose author 462D4284-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0001-7309-9724 MaLo department In vitro reconstitution of bacterial cell division project Bacteria divide by binary fission. The protein machine responsible for this process is the divisome, a transient assembly of more than 30 proteins in and on the surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. Together, they constrict the cell envelope and remodel the peptidoglycan layer to eventually split the cell into two. For Escherichia coli, most molecular players involved in this process have probably been identified, but obtaining the quantitative information needed for a mechanistic understanding can often not be achieved from experiments in vivo alone. Since the discovery of the Z-ring more than 30 years ago, in vitro reconstitution experiments have been crucial to shed light on molecular processes normally hidden in the complex environment of the living cell. In this review, we summarize how rebuilding the divisome from purified components – or at least parts of it - have been instrumental to obtain the detailed mechanistic understanding of the bacterial cell division machinery that we have today. https://research-explorer.ista.ac.at/download/14834/17265/2024_EJCB_Radler.pdf application/pdfno Elsevier2024 eng Cell BiologyGeneral MedicineHistologyPathology and Forensic Medicine 0171-9335 38218128 00116621680000110.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151380 1031 P. Radler and M. Loose, “A dynamic duo: Understanding the roles of FtsZ and FtsA for Escherichia coli cell division through in vitro approaches,” <i>European Journal of Cell Biology</i>, vol. 103, no. 1. Elsevier, 2024. Radler, P., &#38; Loose, M. (2024). A dynamic duo: Understanding the roles of FtsZ and FtsA for Escherichia coli cell division through in vitro approaches. <i>European Journal of Cell Biology</i>. Elsevier. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151380">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151380</a> Radler, Philipp, and Martin Loose. “A Dynamic Duo: Understanding the Roles of FtsZ and FtsA for Escherichia Coli Cell Division through in Vitro Approaches.” <i>European Journal of Cell Biology</i>. Elsevier, 2024. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151380">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151380</a>. Radler P, Loose M. A dynamic duo: Understanding the roles of FtsZ and FtsA for Escherichia coli cell division through in vitro approaches. <i>European Journal of Cell Biology</i>. 2024;103(1). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151380">10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151380</a> Radler, Philipp, and Martin Loose. “A Dynamic Duo: Understanding the Roles of FtsZ and FtsA for Escherichia Coli Cell Division through in Vitro Approaches.” <i>European Journal of Cell Biology</i>, vol. 103, no. 1, 151380, Elsevier, 2024, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151380">10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151380</a>. Radler P, Loose M. 2024. A dynamic duo: Understanding the roles of FtsZ and FtsA for Escherichia coli cell division through in vitro approaches. European Journal of Cell Biology. 103(1), 151380. P. Radler, M. Loose, European Journal of Cell Biology 103 (2024). 148342024-01-18T08:16:43Z2025-09-04T11:45:31Z