Min System

The Min System is a mechanism composed of three proteins MinC, MinD, and MinE used by E. coli as a means of properly localizing the septum prior to cell division. Each component participates in generating a dynamic oscillation of FtsZ protein inhibition between the two bacterial poles to precisely specify the mid-zone of the cell, allowing the cell to accurately divide in two. This system is known to function in conjunction with a second negative regulatory system, the nucleoid occlusion system (NO), to ensure proper spatial and temporal regulation of chromosomal segregation and division. The Min System is a mechanism composed of three proteins MinC, MinD, and MinE used by E. coli as a means of properly localizing the septum prior to cell division. Each component participates in generating a dynamic oscillation of FtsZ protein inhibition between the two bacterial poles to precisely specify the mid-zone of the cell, allowing the cell to accurately divide in two. This system is known to function in conjunction with a second negative regulatory system, the nucleoid occlusion system (NO), to ensure proper spatial and temporal regulation of chromosomal segregation and division. The initial discovery of this family of proteins is attributed to Adler et al. (1967). First identified as E. coli mutants that could not produce a properly localized septum, resulting in the generation of minicellsdue to mislocalized cell division occurring near the bacterial poles. This caused miniature vesicles to pinch off, void of essential molecular constituents permitting it to exist as a viable bacterial cell. Minicells are achromosomal cells that are products of aberrant cell division, and contain RNA and protein, but little or no chromosomal DNA. This finding led to the identification of three interacting proteins involved in a dynamic system of localizing the mid-zone of the cell for properly controlled cell division.