Molecular cloning and functional analysis of minD gene from streptomyces lavendulae ATCC25233.

The minD gene encodes an inhibitor of cell division, which is involved in the regulation of the placement of the proper cell division site in rod-shaped bacteria. In the present study, we cloned the MinD homolog from the filamentous bacterium Streptomyces lavendulae ATCC25233. We showed that the protein exhibits ATPase activity and gives rise to a filamentous phenotype in Escherichia coli. However, the introduction of minD into Streptomyces lividans gave no apparent morphological alternation. We purified the Streptomyces minD gene product, expressed it in E. coli, and characterized it by enzyme kinetics. This is the first report characterizing the Streptomyces MinD homolog.