Karakterisasi genetik dan biokimia dari mutan ''E. coli'' yang menghasilkan minicell mengungkapkan bahwa sebagian besar cacat dalam sistem multiprotein yang dikenal sebagai [[Sistem Min|sistem Min]], yang memerantarai penempatan midcell yang tepat dari septum pembelahan sel.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=de Boer|first=P. A.|last2=Crossley|first2=R. E.|last3=Rothfield|first3=L. I.|date=1989-02-24|title=A division inhibitor and a topological specificity factor coded for by the minicell locus determine proper placement of the division septum in E. coli|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2645057|journal=Cell|volume=56|issue=4|pages=641–649|issn=0092-8674|pmid=2645057}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rowlett|first=Veronica Wells|last2=Margolin|first2=William|date=2013-07-08|title=The bacterial Min system|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23845239|journal=Current biology: CB|volume=23|issue=13|pages=R553–556|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2013.05.024|issn=1879-0445|pmid=23845239}}</ref> Sistem Min paling baik dikarakterisasi pada ''E. coli'' dan ''[[Bacillus subtilis]]'' tetapi juga terdapat dalam beragam spesies bakteri dan kloroplas.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rothfield|first=Lawrence|last2=Taghbalout|first2=Aziz|last3=Shih|first3=Yu-Ling|date=2005-12|title=Spatial control of bacterial division-site placement|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16322744|journal=Nature Reviews. Microbiology|volume=3|issue=12|pages=959–968|doi=10.1038/nrmicro1290|issn=1740-1526|pmid=16322744}}</ref> Pada ''E. coli'', tiga protein Min, MinC, MinD, dan MinE, secara sinergis memerantarai penempatan mesin pembelahan sel (divisome) yang tepat, dengan menghambat perkembangannya di lokasi selain midcell.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rowlett|first=Veronica W.|last2=Margolin|first2=William|date=2015|title=The Min system and other nucleoid-independent regulators of Z ring positioning|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26029202|journal=Frontiers in Microbiology|volume=6|pages=478|doi=10.3389/fmicb.2015.00478|issn=1664-302X|pmc=PMC4429545|pmid=26029202}}</ref> FtsZ, homolog tubulin pada bakteri, adalah komponen penting dari kompleks ini, yang mana komponen memulai pengembangan divisome dengan membentuk struktur seperti cincin, disebut cincin-Z, di situs potensial divisi, akhirnya merekrut divisi tambahan protein untuk membentuk divisome lengkap.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Busiek|first=Kimberly K.|last2=Margolin|first2=William|date=2015-03-16|title=Bacterial actin and tubulin homologs in cell growth and division|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25784047|journal=Current biology: CB|volume=25|issue=6|pages=R243–R254|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2015.01.030|issn=1879-0445|pmc=PMC5519336|pmid=25784047}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lutkenhaus|first=Joe|last2=Pichoff|first2=Sebastien|last3=Du|first3=Shishen|date=2012-10|title=Bacterial cytokinesis: From Z ring to divisome|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22888013|journal=Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.)|volume=69|issue=10|pages=778–790|doi=10.1002/cm.21054|issn=1949-3592|pmc=PMC3931253|pmid=22888013}}</ref> Pada ''E. coli'', protein Min dengan cepat berpindah dari satu kutub sel ke kutub sel yang berlawanan, membentuk gradien penghambatan bipolar yang menghalangi perakitan cincin-Z di dekat kutub tetapi memungkinkannya di dekat midcell.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Raskin|first=D. M.|last2=de Boer|first2=P. A.|date=1999-10|title=MinDE-dependent pole-to-pole oscillation of division inhibitor MinC in Escherichia coli|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10515933|journal=Journal of Bacteriology|volume=181|issue=20|pages=6419–6424|issn=0021-9193|pmc=PMC103778|pmid=10515933}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hu|first=Z.|last2=Mukherjee|first2=A.|last3=Pichoff|first3=S.|last4=Lutkenhaus|first4=J.|date=1999-12-21|title=The MinC component of the division site selection system in Escherichia coli interacts with FtsZ to prevent polymerization|url=http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.96.26.14819|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=96|issue=26|pages=14819–14824|doi=10.1073/pnas.96.26.14819|issn=0027-8424}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Meinhardt|first=H.|last2=de Boer|first2=P. A. J.|date=2001-12-04|title=Pattern formation in Escherichia coli: A model for the pole-to-pole oscillations of Min proteins and the localization of the division site|url=http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.251216598|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=98|issue=25|pages=14202–14207|doi=10.1073/pnas.251216598|issn=0027-8424|pmc=PMC64659|pmid=11734639}}</ref>
== Penggunaan ==
Sistem minicell digunakan secara luas pada akhir 1960-an hingga 1970-an untuk mempelajari berbagai proses termasuk [[Pembelahan sel|pembelahan sel]], transportasi molekul, infeksi [[bakteriofag]], dan sintesis [[polipeptida]].<ref name=":0" /> Sekarang, terdapat minat baru dalam mengembangkan minicell ke dalam sistem penghantaran obat<ref>{{Cite journal|last=MacDiarmid|first=Jennifer A.|last2=Mugridge|first2=Nancy B.|last3=Weiss|first3=Jocelyn C.|last4=Phillips|first4=Leo|last5=Burn|first5=Adam L.|last6=Paulin|first6=Richard P.|last7=Haasdyk|first7=Joel E.|last8=Dickson|first8=Kristie-Ann|last9=Brahmbhatt|first9=Vatsala N.|date=2007-5|title=Bacterially derived 400 nm particles for encapsulation and cancer cell targeting of chemotherapeutics|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17482133|journal=Cancer Cell|volume=11|issue=5|pages=431–445|doi=10.1016/j.ccr.2007.03.012|issn=1535-6108|pmid=17482133}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lee|first=Jin-Young|last2=Choy|first2=Hyon E.|last3=Lee|first3=Jin-Ho|last4=Kim|first4=Geun-Joong|date=2015-4|title=Generation of Minicells from an Endotoxin-Free Gram-Positive Strain Corynebacterium glutamicum|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25341464|journal=Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology|volume=25|issue=4|pages=554–558|issn=1738-8872|pmid=25341464}}</ref> dan [[vaksin]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Carleton|first=Heather A.|last2=Lara-Tejero|first2=María|last3=Liu|first3=Xiaoyun|last4=Galán|first4=Jorge E.|date=2013|title=Engineering the type III secretion system in non-replicating bacterial minicells for antigen delivery|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23481398|journal=Nature Communications|volume=4|pages=1590|doi=10.1038/ncomms2594|issn=2041-1723|pmc=PMC3693737|pmid=23481398}}</ref> yang mengaktifkan respons imun, karena minicell sering mempertahankan sifat virulensi sel induk tetapi tidak dapat berkembang biak.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hale|first=T. L.|last2=Sansonetti|first2=P. J.|last3=Schad|first3=P. A.|last4=Austin|first4=S.|last5=Formal|first5=S. B.|date=1983-4|title=Characterization of virulence plasmids and plasmid-associated outer membrane proteins in Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, and Escherichia coli|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6299962|journal=Infection and Immunity|volume=40|issue=1|pages=340–350|issn=0019-9567|pmc=PMC264854|pmid=6299962}}</ref> Hal terpenting, sifat unik mereka menekankan potensi penggunaan minicell dan mutan penghasil minicell sebagai alat untuk biologi struktural ''in situ''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Farley|first=Madeline M.|last2=Hu|first2=Bo|last3=Margolin|first3=William|last4=Liu|first4=Jun|date=2016-4|title=Minicells, Back in Fashion|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26833418|journal=Journal of Bacteriology|volume=198|issue=8|pages=1186–1195|doi=10.1128/JB.00901-15|issn=1098-5530|pmc=PMC4859596|pmid=26833418}}</ref>
