THE DIVISION DURING BACTERIAL SPORULATION IS SYMMETRICALLY LOCATED INSPOROSARCINA-UREAE

Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to visualize the FtsZ band that marks the site of septation in Sporosarcina ureae. Image analysis ind icated that the vegetative division was symmetrically located with res pect to the ends of the cells. Fusions of lacZ to the sporulation loci , spollA and cotE, of Bacillus subtilis were introduced into S. ureae by mobilization of plasmids containing the fusions from Escherichia co li. The fusions showed similar patterns of sporulation-associated expr ession in S. ureae to those observed in B. subtilis. Formation of P-ga lactosidase encoded by the spollA-lacZ fusion made it possible to iden tify early sporulating cells by immunofluorescence microscopy. Analysi s of the position of FtsZ bands in cells expressing spollA-lacZ indica ted that the location of sporulation division was symmetrical with res pect to the ends of the cells, in sharp contrast to the asymmetrical l ocation of septation in sporulating Bacilli. it is inferred that asymm etry of location of the sporulation division is not essential for the compartmentalization of gene expression that follows the division.