eLife Assessment
This important study investigates how the Cdv division proteins of Metallosphaera sedula assemble on and interact with curved membranes in vitro, advancing our understanding of this reduced ESCRT-like machinery. The data provide support for sequential protein recruitment and curvature-dependent enrichment at membrane necks, based on well-controlled reconstitution assays and quantitative analysis. The work establishes a convincing experimental framework for dissecting Cdv-mediated membrane remodeling. The study will be of broad interest to evolutionary and synthetic biologists as well as membrane biophysicists.