Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1986 Oct;168(1):341–347. doi: 10.1128/jb.168.1.341-347.1986

Control of developmental gene expression by cell-to-cell interactions in Myxococcus xanthus.

R E Gill, M G Cull
PMCID: PMC213457  PMID: 3093463

Abstract

The ssbA mutants of Myxococcus xanthus behave as if they are unable to produce a cell-to-cell signal required for normal development. They are unable to form fruiting bodies or spores on developmental medium. They do sporulate, however, if allowed to develop in mixtures with wild-type cells. Fusions of developmentally induced promoters of M. xanthus to the Escherichia coli lacZ gene were used to characterize the effect of the ssbA mutations on developmental gene expression. Each of the five independent fusions tested was found to be dependent upon the ssbA+ allele for full expression. The ssbA mutants were able to express each of these fusions if the mutants were allowed to develop in mixtures with wild-type (Lac-) cells. These results cannot be explained on the basis of genetic exchange. The data are consistent with regulation of gene expression mediated by cell-to-cell interactions.

Full text

PDF
341

Images in this article

343Image
on p.343
345Image
on p.345
345Image
on p.345
346Image
on p.346

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson C. W., Baum P. R., Gesteland R. F. Processing of adenovirus 2-induced proteins. J Virol. 1973 Aug;12(2):241–252. doi: 10.1128/jvi.12.2.241-252.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bretscher A. P., Kaiser D. Nutrition of Myxococcus xanthus, a fruiting myxobacterium. J Bacteriol. 1978 Feb;133(2):763–768. doi: 10.1128/jb.133.2.763-768.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Campos J. M., Geisselsoder J., Zusman D. R. Isolation of bacteriophage MX4, a generalized transducing phage for Myxococcus xanthus. J Mol Biol. 1978 Feb 25;119(2):167–178. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(78)90431-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Downard J. S., Kupfer D., Zusman D. R. Gene expression during development of Myxococcus xanthus. Analysis of the genes for protein S. J Mol Biol. 1984 Jun 5;175(4):469–492. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(84)90180-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Downard J. S., Zusman D. R. Differential expression of protein S genes during Myxococcus xanthus development. J Bacteriol. 1985 Mar;161(3):1146–1155. doi: 10.1128/jb.161.3.1146-1155.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dworkin M., Kaiser D. Cell interactions in myxobacterial growth and development. Science. 1985 Oct 4;230(4721):18–24. doi: 10.1126/science.3929384. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hagen D. C., Bretscher A. P., Kaiser D. Synergism between morphogenetic mutants of Myxococcus xanthus. Dev Biol. 1978 Jun;64(2):284–296. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(78)90079-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hodgkin J., Kaiser D. Cell-to-cell stimulation of movement in nonmotile mutants of Myxococcus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Jul;74(7):2938–2942. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.7.2938. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Inouye M., Inouye S., Zusman D. R. Biosynthesis and self-assembly of protein S, a development-specific protein of Myxococcus xanthus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Jan;76(1):209–213. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.1.209. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Inouye M., Inouye S., Zusman D. R. Gene expression during development of Myxococcus xanthus: pattern of protein synthesis. Dev Biol. 1979 Feb;68(2):579–591. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(79)90228-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Inouye S., Franceschini T., Inouye M. Structural similarities between the development-specific protein S from a gram-negative bacterium, Myxococcus xanthus, and calmodulin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Nov;80(22):6829–6833. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.22.6829. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Inouye S., Harada W., Zusman D., Inouye M. Development-specific protein S of Myxococcus xanthus: purification and characterization. J Bacteriol. 1981 Nov;148(2):678–683. doi: 10.1128/jb.148.2.678-683.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Inouye S., Ike Y., Inouye M. Tandem repeat of the genes for protein S, a development-specific protein of Myxococcus xanthus. J Biol Chem. 1983 Jan 10;258(1):38–40. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Janssen G. R., Dworkin M. Cell-cell interactions in developmental lysis of Myxococcus xanthus. Dev Biol. 1985 Nov;112(1):194–202. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(85)90133-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kaiser D., Manoil C., Dworkin M. Myxobacteria: cell interactions, genetics, and development. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1979;33:595–639. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.33.100179.003115. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Komano T., Furuichi T., Teintze M., Inouye M., Inouye S. Effects of deletion of the gene for the development-specific protein S on differentiation in Myxococcus xanthus. J Bacteriol. 1984 Jun;158(3):1195–1197. doi: 10.1128/jb.158.3.1195-1197.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kroos L., Kaiser D. Construction of Tn5 lac, a transposon that fuses lacZ expression to exogenous promoters, and its introduction into Myxococcus xanthus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Sep;81(18):5816–5820. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.18.5816. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. LaRossa R., Kuner J., Hagen D., Manoil C., Kaiser D. Developmental cell interactions of Myxococcus xanthus: analysis of mutants. J Bacteriol. 1983 Mar;153(3):1394–1404. doi: 10.1128/jb.153.3.1394-1404.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Martin S., Sodergren E., Masuda T., Kaiser D. Systematic isolation of transducing phages for Myxococcus xanthus. Virology. 1978 Jul 1;88(1):44–53. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(78)90108-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Shimkets L. J., Dworkin M. Excreted adenosine is a cell density signal for the initiation of fruiting body formation in Myxococcus xanthus. Dev Biol. 1981 May;84(1):51–60. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(81)90369-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Shimkets L. J., Kaiser D. Induction of coordinated movement of Myxococcus xanthus cells. J Bacteriol. 1982 Oct;152(1):451–461. doi: 10.1128/jb.152.1.451-461.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Shimkets L. J., Kaiser D. Murein components rescue developmental sporulation of Myxococcus xanthus. J Bacteriol. 1982 Oct;152(1):462–470. doi: 10.1128/jb.152.1.462-470.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Stephens K., Hegeman G. D., White D. Pheromone produced by the myxobacterium Stigmatella aurantiaca. J Bacteriol. 1982 Feb;149(2):739–747. doi: 10.1128/jb.149.2.739-747.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES