This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Guo, D.
Right arrow Articles by Kaplan, H. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Guo, D.
Right arrow Articles by Kaplan, H. B.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, August 2000, p. 4564-4571, Vol. 182, No. 16
0021-9193/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Identification and Characterization of Genes Required for Early Myxococcus xanthus Developmental Gene Expression

Dongchuan Guo, Yun Wu, and Heidi B. Kaplan*

Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas---Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030

Received 18 January 2000/Accepted 22 May 2000

Starvation and cell density regulate the developmental expression of Myxococcus xanthus gene 4521. Three classes of mutants allow expression of this developmental gene during growth on nutrient agar, such that colonies of strains containing a Tn5 lac Omega 4521 fusion are Lac+. One class of these mutants inactivates SasN, a negative regulator of 4521 expression; another class activates SasS, a sensor kinase-positive regulator of 4521 expression; and a third class blocks lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O-antigen biosynthesis. To identify additional positive regulators of 4521 expression, 11 Lac- TnV.AS transposon insertion mutants were isolated from a screen of 18,000 Lac+ LPS O-antigen mutants containing Tn5 lac Omega 4521 (Tcr). Ten mutations identified genes that could encode positive regulators of 4521 developmental expression based on their ability to abolish 4521 expression during development in the absence of LPS O antigen and in an otherwise wild-type background. Eight of these mutations mapped to the sasB locus, which encodes the known 4521 regulators SasS and SasN. One mapped to sasS, whereas seven identified new genes. Three mutations mapped to a gene encoding an NtrC-like response regulator homologue, designated sasR, and four others mapped to a gene designated sasP. One mutation, designated ssp10, specifically suppressed the LPS O-antigen defect; the ssp10 mutation had no effect on 4521 expression in an otherwise wild-type background but reduced 4521 developmental expression in the absence of LPS O antigen to a level close to that of the parent strain. All of the mutations except those in sasP conferred defects during growth and development. These data indicate that a number of elements are required for 4521 developmental expression and that most of these are necessary for normal growth and fruiting body development.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Medical School, 6431 Fannin, 1.765 JFB, Houston, TX 77030. Phone: (713) 500-5448. Fax: (713) 500-5499. E-mail: Heidi.B.Kaplan{at}uth.tmc.edu.

Journal of Bacteriology, August 2000, p. 4564-4571, Vol. 182, No. 16
0021-9193/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Ossa, F., Diodati, M. E., Caberoy, N. B., Giglio, K. M., Edmonds, M., Singer, M., Garza, A. G. (2007). The Myxococcus xanthus Nla4 Protein Is Important for Expression of Stringent Response-Associated Genes, ppGpp Accumulation, and Fruiting Body Development. J. Bacteriol. 189: 8474-8483 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Goldman, B. S., Nierman, W. C., Kaiser, D., Slater, S. C., Durkin, A. S., Eisen, J. A., Ronning, C. M., Barbazuk, W. B., Blanchard, M., Field, C., Halling, C., Hinkle, G., Iartchuk, O., Kim, H. S., Mackenzie, C., Madupu, R., Miller, N., Shvartsbeyn, A., Sullivan, S. A., Vaudin, M., Wiegand, R., Kaplan, H. B. (2006). Evolution of sensory complexity recorded in a myxobacterial genome. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103: 15200-15205 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Overgaard, M., Wegener-Feldbrugge, S., Sogaard-Andersen, L. (2006). The Orphan Response Regulator DigR Is Required for Synthesis of Extracellular Matrix Fibrils in Myxococcus xanthus.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 4384-4394 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Viswanathan, P., Singer, M., Kroos, L. (2006). Role of {sigma}D in Regulating Genes and Signals during Myxococcus xanthus Development. J. Bacteriol. 188: 3246-3256 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Diodati, M. E., Ossa, F., Caberoy, N. B., Jose, I. R., Hiraiwa, W., Igo, M. M., Singer, M., Garza, A. G. (2006). Nla18, a Key Regulatory Protein Required for Normal Growth and Development of Myxococcus xanthus.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 1733-1743 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Jelsbak, L., Givskov, M., Kaiser, D. (2005). Enhancer-binding proteins with a forkhead-associated domain and the {sigma}54 regulon in Myxococcus xanthus fruiting body development. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102: 3010-3015 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Jakobsen, J. S., Jelsbak, L., Jelsbak, L., Welch, R. D., Cummings, C., Goldman, B., Stark, E., Slater, S., Kaiser, D. (2004). {sigma}54 Enhancer Binding Proteins and Myxococcus xanthus Fruiting Body Development. J. Bacteriol. 186: 4361-4368 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nielsen, M., Rasmussen, A. Aa., Ellehauge, E., Treuner-Lange, A., Sogaard-Andersen, L. (2004). HthA, a putative DNA-binding protein, and HthB are important for fruiting body morphogenesis in Myxococcus xanthus. Microbiology 150: 2171-2183 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kroos, L., Maddock, J. R. (2003). Prokaryotic Development: Emerging Insights. J. Bacteriol. 185: 1128-1146 [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»