Les bactéries magnétotactiques synthétisent des organites spécialisés appelés magnétosomes. Ils sont composés d'un cristal magnétique entouré d'une membrane et de protéines spécifiques. Arrangés en chaîne dans la bactérie, ils orientent la bactérie dans le champ magnétique, ce qui simplifierait sa recherche d’environnements microaérophiles. Dans le génome de toutes les souches magnétotactiques séquencées, l'îlot génomique de magnétotaxie contient les gènes impliqués dans la formation des magnétosomes. Nous avons procédé à l’annotation du génome de la souche magnétotactique marine QH-2 et montré que la région du génome codant les gènes de la magnétotaxie n'est, dans ce cas, pas définie comme un îlot génomique, bien qu’elle ait été acquise par transfert latéral de gènes. Dans le génome de M. magneticum AMB-1, nous avons identifié un nouvel îlot génomique de petite taille que nous avons appelé l'îlet de magnétotaxie portant 7 gènes homologues à des gènes liés à la synthèse des magnétosomes. Pour répondre à la question de la fonction biologique de cet îlet génomique, nous avons examiné le rôle de l'un des sept gènes, mamK-like. MamK-like exprimée dans E. coli forme des filaments, comme observé pour MamK. La polymérisation in vitro des deux protéines est également comparable, mais présente des différences structurales. En outre, nous démontrons que mamK-like est transcrite dans AMB-1 de type sauvage et dans le mutant ΔmamK. Par immuno-marquage, nous montrons la présence d'un filament dans le mutant ΔmamK, probablement dû à MamK-like. Nous émettons l'hypothèse que ce filament contribue à maintenir l’organisation en chaîne des magnétosomes dans la souche mutante. / Magnetotactic bacteria synthesise specialised organelles called magnetosomes. They are composed of a magnetic crystal surrounded by a lipid bilayer and specific proteins. Arranged in chains, they orient magnetotactic bacteria in the geomagnetic field, thereby simplifying their search for their microaerophilic environments. In each sequenced magnetotactic strain, the magnetotaxis genomic island contains the genes involved in magnetosomes formation. Our annotation of the newly sequenced genome of the magnetotactic strain QH-2 shows that the region coding the magnetotaxis genes is not a genomic island, though it has been acquired by lateral genes transfer. In the genome of M. magneticum AMB-1 we identified a new, small genomic island we termed the magnetotaxis islet, encoding 7 genes homologous to genes related to the magnetosomes synthesis. To assess the question of the biological function of this genomic islet, we further investigated the role of one of the seven genes, mamK-like. Filaments were observed in E. coli cells expressing MamK-like-Venus fusion by fluorescence microscopy. In vitro polymerization of both isoforms is comparable, though some differences are present at the structural level. In addition, we demonstrate that mamK-like is transcribed in AMB-1 wild-type and ΔmamK mutant cells. Immunolabelling assay using an anti-MamK antibody reveals the presence of a filament in the ΔmamK mutant. We hypothesise that this filament is due to MamK-like and that it helps maintaining a chain-like organisation of magnetosomes in the mutant strain.

The discovery of the prokaryotic cytoskeleton has revolutionized our thinking about spatial organisation in prokaryotes. However, the roles different bacterial cytoskeletal proteins play in the localisations of diverse biomolecules are controversial. Bacterial chemotaxis depends on signalling through large protein clusters and each cell must inherit a cluster on cytokinesis. In Escherichia coli the membrane chemosensory clusters are polar and new static clusters form at pre-cytokinetic sites, ensuring positioning at new poles after cytokinesis and suggesting a role for the bacterial FtsZ and MreB cytoskeletons. Rhodobacter sphaeroides has both polar, membrane-associated and cytoplasmic, chromosome-associated chemosensory clusters. This study sought to investigate the roles of FtsZ and MreB in the partitioning of the two chemosensory clusters in R. sphaeroides. The relative positioning between the two chemosensory systems, FtsZ and MreB in R. sphaeroides cells during the cell cycle was monitored using fluorescence microscopy. FtsZ forms polar spots after cytokinesis, which redistribute to the midcell forming nodes from which gradients of FtsZ extend circumferentially to form the Z-ring. The proposed node-precursor model might represent a common mechanism for the formation of cytokinetic rings. The MreB cytoskeleton continuously reorganizes between patchy and filamentous structures, and colocalises with FtsZ at midcell. Membrane chemosensory proteins form individual dynamic unit-clusters with mature clusters containing about 1000 CheW₃ proteins. These unit-clusters diffuse randomly within the membrane but have a higher propensity for curved regions like cell poles. Membrane clusters do not colocalise with FtsZ and MreB and appear excluded from the Z-ring vicinity. The bipolar localisation of membrane clusters is established after cell division via random diffusion and polar trapping of clusters. The cytoplasmic chemosensory clusters colocalise with FtsZ at midcell in new-born cells. Before cytokinesis one cluster moves to a daughter cell, followed by the second moving to the other cell. FtsZ and MreB do not participate in the positioning of cytoplasmic clusters. Therefore the two homologous chemosensory clusters use different mechanisms to ensure partitioning, and neither system utilizes FtsZ or MreB for positioning.