This is a family of bactofilins, a functionally diverse class of cytoskeletal, polymer-forming, proteins that is widely conserved among bacteria. In the example species C. crescentus, two bactofilins assemble into a membrane-associated laminar structure that shows cell-cycle-dependent polar localisation and acts as a platform for the recruitment of a cell wall biosynthetic enzyme involved in polar morphogenesis. Bactofilins display distinct subcellular distributions and dynamics in different bacterial species, suggesting that they are versatile structural elements that have adopted a range of different cellular functions.

1: Bactofilins, a ubiquitous class of cytoskeletal proteins mediating polar localization of a cell wall synthase in Caulobacter crescentus. Kuhn J, Briegel A, Morschel E, Kahnt J, Leser K, Wick S, Jensen GJ, Thanbichler M; EMBO J. 2009; [Epub ahead of print] PMID:19959992