Haloplasma MreB reconstitution in a minimal synthetic bacterium reveals orthogonal force directions underlying distinct Mollicute motility systems

MreB, a bacterial actin homolog, is widely conserved in bacteria where it functions as a scaffold for a peptidoglycan synthesis.

MreB, a bacterial actin homolog, is widely conserved in bacteria where it functions as a scaffold for a peptidoglycan synthesis. Intriguingly, members of the cell wall-lacking Mollicutes retain multiple mreB genes despite the absence of peptidoglycan. Previous work demonstrated…