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Journal of Bacteriology, September 2003, p. 5066-5075, Vol. 185, No. 17
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.17.5066-5075.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Membrane Localization of Motility, Signaling, and Polyketide Synthetase Proteins in Myxococcus xanthus

Vesna Simunovic, Frank C. Gherardini, and Lawrence J. Shimkets^*

Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602

Received 16 May 2003/ Accepted 30 May 2003

Myxococcus xanthus cells coordinate cellular motility, biofilm formation, and development through the use of cell signaling pathways. In an effort to understand the mechanisms underlying these processes, the inner membrane (IM) and outer membrane (OM) of strain DK1622 were fractionated to examine protein localization. Membranes were enriched from spheroplasts of vegetative cells and then separated into three peaks on a three-step sucrose gradient. The high-density fraction corresponded to the putative IM, the medium-density fraction corresponded to a putative hybrid membrane (HM), and the low-density fraction corresponded to the putative OM. Each fraction was subjected to further separation on discontinuous sucrose gradients, which resulted in discrete protein peaks for each major fraction. The purity and origin of each peak were assessed by using succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity as the IM marker and reactivities to lipopolysaccharide core and O-antigen monoclonal antibodies as the OM markers. As previously reported, the OM markers localized to the low-density membrane fractions, while SDH localized to high-density fractions. Immunoblotting was used to localize important motility and signaling proteins within the protein peaks. CsgA, the C-signal-producing protein, and FibA, a fibril-associated protease, were localized in the IM (density, 1.17 to 1.24 g cm^-3). Tgl and Cgl lipoproteins were localized in the OM, which contained areas of high buoyant density (1.21 to 1.24 g cm^-3) and low buoyant density (1.169 to 1.171 g cm^-3). FrzCD, a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein, was predominantly located in the IM, although smaller amounts were found in the OM. The HM peaks showed twofold enrichment for the type IV pilin protein PilA, suggesting that this fraction contained cell poles. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of proteins that were unique to the IM and OM. Characterization of proteins in an unusually low-density membrane peak (1.072 to 1.094 g cm^-3) showed the presence of Ta-1 polyketide synthetase, which synthesizes the antibiotic myxovirescin A.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Microbiology Department, University of Georgia, 527 Biological Sciences Building, Athens, GA 30602. Phone: (706) 542-2681. Fax: (706) 542-2674. E-mail: shimkets{at}uga.edu.

Present address: GBF-Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung mbH, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany.

Present address: Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, MT 59840.

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Journal of Bacteriology, September 2003, p. 5066-5075, Vol. 185, No. 17
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.17.5066-5075.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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