Binary Fission: Most bacteria rely on binary fission for propagation. Conceptually this is a simple process; a cell just needs to grow to twice its starting size and then split in two. But, to remain viable and competitive, a bacterium must divide at the right time, in the right place, and must provide each offspring with a complete copy of its essential genetic material. Bacterial cell division is studied in many research laboratories throughout the world. These investigations are uncovering the genetic mechanisms that regulate and drive bacterial cell division. Understanding the mechanics of this process is of great interest because it may allow for the design of new chemicals or novel antibiotics that specifically target and interfere with cell division in bacteria.
Before binary fission occurs, the cell must copy its genetic material (DNA) and segregate these copies to opposite ends of the cell. Then the many types of proteins that comprise the cell division machinery assemble at the future division site. A key component of this machinery is the protein FtsZ. Protein monomers of FtsZ assemble into a ring-like structure at the center of a cell. Other components of the division apparatus then assemble at the FtsZ ring. This machinery is positioned so that division splits the cytoplasm and does not damage DNA in the process. As division occurs, the cytoplasm is cleaved in two, and in many bacteria, new cell wall is synthesized. The order and timing of these processes (DNA replication, DNA segregation, division site selection, invagination of the cell envelope and synthesis of new cell wall) are tightly controlled.