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Abstract:
Advances in microscopic and cell biological techniques have considerably
improved our understanding of bacterial chromosome organization and
dynamics. The nucleoid was formerly perceived to be an amorphous entity
divided into ill-defined domains of supercoiling that are randomly
deposited in the cell. Recent work, however, has demonstrated a
remarkable degree of spatial organization. A highly ordered chromosome
structure, established while DNA replication and partitioning are in
progress, is maintained and propagated during growth. Duplication of the
chromosome and partitioning of the newly generated daughter strands are
interwoven processes driven by the dynamic interplay between the
synthesis, segregation and condensation of DNA. These events are
intimately coupled with the bacterial cell cycle and exhibit a
previously unanticipated complexity reminiscent of eukaryotic systems.
