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Dynamics of the peptidoglycan synthesis machinery during Staphylococcus aureus cell division

Bacterial cell division is mediated by the tubulin-homolog FtsZ which recruits peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis enzymes to the division site. Septal PG synthases promote inward growth of the division septum, but the mechanisms governing the spatiotemporal regulation of these enzymes are poorly understood. Recent studies on various organisms have proposed different models for the relationship between the movement and activity of septum-specific PG synthases and FtsZ dynamics, but no consensus has yet emerged. I will describe our recent findings on the movement dynamics of the essential PG synthases FtsW-PBP1 during septum constriction in the bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, which may contribute to the clarification of common mechanisms for regulation of septal PBPs dynamics during cell division of different bacterial species.