Cell-cycle progression and the generation of asymmetry in Caulobacter crescentus

Microorganisms make tractable model systems and Caulobacter crescentus has emerged as the main model for understanding the regulation of the bacterial cell cycle. Mechanisms that mediate the generation and maintenance of spatial asymmetry are being uncovered using this model bacterium. Now, the advent of genomic technologies together with the completion of the Caulobacter crescentus genome sequence is enabling global analyses that have revolutionized the pace of research into the genetic networks that control the bacterial life cycle.