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Journal of Bacteriology, October 2002, p. 5654-5660, Vol. 184, No. 20
0021-9193/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.20.5654-5660.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A CheW Homologue Is Required for Myxococcus xanthus Fruiting Body Development, Social Gliding Motility, and Fibril Biogenesis

Kristen Bellenger,1 Xiaoyuan Ma,2 Wenyuan Shi,2 and Zhaomin Yang1*

Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849-5407,1 School of Dentistry, Molecular Biology Institute, and Dental Research Institute, University of California—Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-16682

Received 11 February 2002/ Accepted 7 June 2002

In bacteria with multiple sets of chemotaxis genes, the deletion of homologous genes or even different genes in the same operon can result in disparate phenotypes. Myxococcus xanthus is a bacterium with multiple sets of chemotaxis genes and/or homologues. It was shown previously that difA and difE, encoding homologues of the methyl-accepting chemoreceptor protein (MCP) and the CheA kinase, respectively, are required for M. xanthus social gliding (S) motility and development. Both difA and difE mutants were also defective in the biogenesis of the cell surface appendages known as extracellular matrix fibrils. In this study, we investigated the roles of the CheW homologue encoded by difC, a gene at the same locus as difA and difE. We showed that difC mutations resulted in defects in M. xanthus developmental aggregation, sporulation, and S motility. We demonstrated that difC is indispensable for wild-type cellular cohesion and fibril biogenesis but not for pilus production. We further illustrated the ectopic complementation of a difC in-frame deletion by a wild-type difC. The identical phenotypes of difA, difC, and difE mutants are consistent and supportive of the hypothesis that the Dif chemotaxis homologues constitute a chemotaxis-like signal transduction pathway that regulates M. xanthus fibril biogenesis and S motility.

* Corresponding author. Present address: 2119 Derring Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061. Phone: (540) 231-1350. Fax: (540) 231-9307. E-mail: zmyang{at}vt.edu.

Journal of Bacteriology, October 2002, p. 5654-5660, Vol. 184, No. 20
0021-9193/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.20.5654-5660.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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