ZapA is a cell division protein which interacts with FtsZ. FtsZ is part of a mid-cell cytokinetic structure termed the Z-ring that recruits a hierarchy of fission related proteins early in the bacterial cell cycle. The interaction of FtsZ with ZapA drives its polymerisation and promotes FtsZ filament bundling thereby contributing to the spatio-temporal tuning of the Z-ring [1][2].

1: The crystal structure of ZapA and its modulation of FtsZ polymerisation. Low HH, Moncrieffe MC, Lowe J; J Mol Biol 2004;341:839-852. PMID:15288790

2: A widely conserved bacterial cell division protein that promotes assembly of the tubulin-like protein FtsZ. Gueiros-Filho FJ, Losick R; Genes Dev 2002;16:2544-2556. PMID:12368265