The Bacterial Cytoskeleton based on Bacterial Translation Elongation Factor EF-Tu: Novel Insights

Abstract

Bacteria possess an EF-Tu-based cytoskeleton.This article presents a short review. A number of questions which are not discussed in the former publications can be asked, such as: all bacteria possess a ribosomal protein synthesis system and, hence, also EF-Tu. EF-Tu is produced in an amount that is higher than the need for a function as translation elogation factor in ribsomal protein synthesis. This article tries to answer the question regarding the surplus of EF-Tu: formation of a "cell-wide web" by self-assembly as a feafure that stabilizes cell integrity. An additional question can be asked: what is the origin of this bacterial cytoskeleton? This article contains a speculation on this topic. A third question regards the'ntteructjon of ribosomes in the process of protemsynthesis: does the EF-Tu protein move to the ribosome, or does the ribosome move to the EF-Tu intergated in a fibril of the bacterial cytoskeleton? The former publication depicts electron micrographs which show colocalizatton of botth entities. EF-Tu is an example for aprotein with two independent functions: participation in the ribosomal protein synthesis as a kanslation elongation factor, and component of a bacterial cytoskeleton. This situation can open up a discussion ofthe sequence of events and states of early cells during evolution.