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Journal of Bacteriology, April 2007, p. 3208-3216, Vol. 189, No. 8
0021-9193/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.01681-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A Complete Set of Flagellar Genes Acquired by Horizontal Transfer Coexists with the Endogenous Flagellar System in Rhodobacter sphaeroides{triangledown} ,{dagger}

Sebastian Poggio,1 Cei Abreu-Goodger,2 Salvador Fabela,1 Aurora Osorio,1 Georges Dreyfus,3 Pablo Vinuesa,2 and Laura Camarena1*

Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas,1 Centro de Ciencias Genómicas,2 Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F. 04510, México3

Received 30 October 2006/ Accepted 29 January 2007

Bacteria swim in liquid environments by means of a complex rotating structure known as the flagellum. Approximately 40 proteins are required for the assembly and functionality of this structure. Rhodobacter sphaeroides has two flagellar systems. One of these systems has been shown to be functional and is required for the synthesis of the well-characterized single subpolar flagellum, while the other was found only after the genome sequence of this bacterium was completed. In this work we found that the second flagellar system of R. sphaeroides can be expressed and produces a functional flagellum. In many bacteria with two flagellar systems, one is required for swimming, while the other allows movement in denser environments by producing a large number of flagella over the entire cell surface. In contrast, the second flagellar system of R. sphaeroides produces polar flagella that are required for swimming. Expression of the second set of flagellar genes seems to be positively regulated under anaerobic growth conditions. Phylogenic analysis suggests that the flagellar system that was initially characterized was in fact acquired by horizontal transfer from a {gamma}-proteobacterium, while the second flagellar system contains the native genes. Interestingly, other {alpha}-proteobacteria closely related to R. sphaeroides have also acquired a set of flagellar genes similar to the set found in R. sphaeroides, suggesting that a common ancestor received this gene cluster.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, México D.F. 04510, México. Phone: 5255-56223824. Fax: 5255-55500048. E-mail: rosal{at}servidor.unam.mx

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 9 February 2007.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://jb.asm.org/.

Journal of Bacteriology, April 2007, p. 3208-3216, Vol. 189, No. 8
0021-9193/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.01681-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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