Min oscillation in bacteria.

Oscillation of the Min proteins is a key regulator of the division plane in many bacteria including the model organism E. coli. The coupled oscillation of these proteins between the ends of the cell restricts the formation of the Z ring, an essential cytoskeletal element that serves as a scaffold for the cytokinesis machinery, to a narrow region at midcell. The oscillation was discovered following the fusion of the Min proteins to green fluorescent protein. Importantly, the Min system is readily manipulated allowing rapid advances in understanding key aspects of the oscillation. In addition, details of the biochemistry of the Min proteins have emerged that provide the basis for their dynamic interaction with the membrane. Furthermore, the in vivo description of the oscillations along with the biochemical details of the Min proteins have provided the fuel for mathematical approaches to try and understand the critical features that underlie this oscillatory system. The simplicity and ease of manipulating the Min system make it a tractable model to obtain a complete understanding of a self-organizing system.