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Genes required for both gliding motility and development in Myxococcus xanthus
Author(s) -
MacNeil Spencer D.,
Mouzeyan Aram,
Hartzell Patricia L
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1994.tb01315.x
Subject(s) - myxococcus xanthus , biology , mutant , motility , morphogenesis , phenotype , gene , genetics , gliding motility , mutagenesis , chemotaxis , microbiology and biotechnology , mutation , wild type , receptor
Summary Myxococous xanthus cells can glide both as individual cells, dependent on A dventurous motility (A motility), and as groups of cells, dependent upon S ocial motility (S motility), Tn5‐lac mutagenesis was used to generate 16 new A ‐ and nine new S ‐ mutations. In contrast with previous results, we find that subsets of A ‐ mutants are defective in fruiting body morphogenesis and/or myxospore differentiation. All S ‐ mutants are defective in fruiting body morphogenesis, consistent with previous results. Whereas some S ‐ mutants produce a wild‐type complement of spores, others are defective in the differentiation of myxospores. Therefore, a subset of the A genes and all of the S genes are critical for fruiting body morphogenesis. Subsets of both A and S genes are essential for sporulation. Three S::Tn 5–lac insertions result in surprising phenotypes. Colonies of two S ‐ mutants glide on ‘swim’ (0.35% agar) plates to form fractal patterns. These S ‐ mutants are the first examples of a bacterium in which mutations result in fractal patterns of colonial spreading. An otherwise wild‐type strain with one S ‐ insertion resembles the frz ‐ sglA1 ‐ mutants upon development, suggesting that this S ‐ gene defines a new chemotaxis component in M. xanthus.