Roles of RodZ and Class A PBP1b in the Assembly and Regulation of the Peripheral Peptidoglycan Elongasome in Ovoid-Shaped Cells of Streptococcus pneumoniae D39

RodZ of rod-shaped bacteria functions to link MreB filaments to the Rod peptidoglycan (PG) synthase complex that moves circumferentially perpendicular to the long cell axis, creating hoop-like sidewall PG. Ovoid-shaped bacteria, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus; Spn) that lack MreB, use a different modality for peripheral PG elongation that emanates from the midcell of dividing cells. Yet, S. pneumoniae encodes a RodZ homolog similar to RodZ in rod-shaped bacteria. We show here that the helix-turn-helix and transmembrane domains of RodZ(Spn) are essential for growth at 37{degrees}C. {Delta}rodZ mutations are suppressed by {Delta}pbp1a, mpgA(Y488D), and {Delta}khpA mutations that suppress {Delta}mreC, but not {Delta}cozE. Consistent with a role in PG elongation, RodZ(Spn) co-localizes with MreC and aPBP1a throughout the cell cycle and forms complexes and interacts with PG elongasome proteins and regulators. Depletion of RodZ(Spn) results in aberrantly shaped, non-growing cells and mislocalization of elongasome proteins MreC, PBP2b, and RodA. Moreover, Tn-seq reveals that RodZ(Spn), but not MreCD(Spn), displays a specific synthetic-viable genetic relationship with aPBP1b, whose function is unknown. We conclude that RodZ(Spn) acts as a scaffolding protein required for elongasome assembly and function and that aPBP1b, like aPBP1a, plays a role in elongasome regulation and possibly peripheral PG synthesis. Graphical Summary O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=192 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/494439v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (47K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@f1cfb9org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@17cac68org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1af20borg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@108d83c_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG