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Journal of Bacteriology, February 2002, p. 913-918, Vol. 184, No. 4
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/jb.184.4.913-918.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A Bacterial Signal Transduction System Controls Genetic Exchange and Motility

Andrew S. Lang and J. Thomas Beatty*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada

Received 7 June 2001/ Accepted 6 November 2001

The bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus is capable of an unusual form of genetic exchange, mediated by a transducing bacteriophage-like particle called the gene transfer agent (GTA). GTA production by R. capsulatus is controlled at the level of transcription by a cellular two-component signal transduction system that includes a putative histidine kinase (CckA) and response regulator (CtrA). We found that, in addition to regulating genetic exchange by R. capsulatus, this signal transduction system controls motility. As with the regulation of GTA production, the control of motility by CckA and CtrA occurs through modulation of gene transcription. Disruptions of the cckA and ctrA genes resulted in a loss of class II, class III, and class IV flagellar gene transcripts, suggesting that cckA and ctrA function in motility as class I flagellar genes. We also found that, analogous to the GTA genes, transcription of R. capsulatus flagellar genes appears to be growth phase dependent: class II flagellar gene transcripts are maximal in the mid-log phase of the culture growth cycle, whereas class III gene transcripts are maximal in the late-log phase of growth. We speculate that coordinate regulation of motility and GTA-mediated genetic exchange in R. capsulatus exists because these two processes are complementary mechanisms for cells to cope with unfavorable conditions in natural environments.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, 300-6174 University Blvd., Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada. Phone: (604) 822-6896. Fax: (604) 822-6041. E-mail: jbeatty{at}interchange.ubc.ca.

Journal of Bacteriology, February 2002, p. 913-918, Vol. 184, No. 4
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/jb.184.4.913-918.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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