SpoIIQ-dependent localization of SpoIIE contributes to septal stability and compartmentalization during the engulfment stage of Bacillus subtilis sporulation

Abstract

During spore development in bacteria, a polar septum separates two transcriptionally distinct cellular compartments, the mother cell and the forespore. The conserved serine phosphatase SpoIIE is known for its critical role in the formation of this septum and activation of compartment-specifictranscription in the forespore. Signaling between the mother cell and forespore then leads to activation of mother cell transcription and a phagocytic-like process called engulfment, which involves dramatic remodeling of the septum and requires a balance between peptidoglycan synthesis and hydrolysis to ensure septal stability and compartmentalization. Using Bacillus subtilis, we identify an additional role for SpoIIE in maintaining septal stability and compartmentalization at the onset of engulfment. This role for SpoIIE is mediated by SpoIIQ, which anchors SpoIIE in the engulfingmembrane. A SpoIIQ mutant (SpoIIQ Y28A) that fails to anchor SpoIIE, results in septal instability and miscompartmentalization during septal peptidoglycan hydrolysis, when other septal stabilization factors are absent. Our data support a model whereby SpoIIE and its interactions with the peptidoglycan synthetic machinery contribute to the stabilization of the asymmetric septum early in engulfment, thereby ensuring compartmentalization during spore development.