Program > • Session Cell biology

In recent years, considerable progress has been made in elucidating the cell biology of prokaryotes. Facilitated by the development of fluorescence microscopic techniques that allow investigation of protein dynamics in single cells, bacteria were shown to employ a complex network of regulatory systems that temporally and spatially organize cellular processes. Localized protein complexes were found to have pivotal roles in driving cell cycle progression and bacterial differentiation. Moreover, a variety of different cytoskeletal elements have been identified in bacteria, serving as dynamic scaffolds that determine cell shape, regulate cell division, and mediate macromolecular transport within the cytoplasm. The high degree of internal organization indicated by these findings also extends to bacterial chromosomes, which emerged to assume a conserved arrangement in the cell and to be segregated in an active and orderly fashion. This session will highlight recent advances that further our understanding of the function of bacterial cells. 

Chairman : Prof. Dr. Kenji Yasuda (Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan)