AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW OF THE CAULOBACTER-CRESCENTUS DIVISION CYCLE PATTERN WITH APPLICATION TO CELL-DIFFERENTIATION AND CELL-CYCLE-SPECIFIC SYNTHESIS

The complex division cycle of Caulobacter crescentus is the consequence of the history of pole development. The newly formed poles are not complete at division and require an additional sequence of synthesis to produce the ultimate stalked pole. The observed cell-cycle-specific protein synthesis and the apparent differentiation of newborn cells are related to the completion of pole synthesis, not to cell-cycle-dependent events. From this viewpoint, the division cycle of Caulobacter crescentus is similar to that of symmetrical, rod-shaped bacteria such as Escherichia coli.