Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1977 Jul;131(1):280–287. doi: 10.1128/jb.131.1.280-287.1977

Stalkless mutants of Caulobacter crescentus.

A Fukuda, H Iba, Y Okada
PMCID: PMC235420  PMID: 873885

Abstract

A stalk, a single falgellum, several pili, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) phage receptors are polar surface structures expressed at a defined time in the Caulobacter crescentus cell cycle. When mutants were isolated as DNA phage phiCbK-resistant or ribonucleic acid (RNA) phage phiCp2-resistant, as well as nonmotile, strains, 5 out of 30 such mutant isolates were found not to possess stalks, but did possess inactive flagella. These stalkless mutants were resistant simultaneously to both DNA and RNA phages and did not possess pili and DNA pendent stalkless mutants. All motile revertants simultaneously regained the capacity to form stalks and susceptibility to DNA and RNA phages. It is suggested that a single mutation pleiotropically affects stalk formation, flagella motility, and coordinate polar morphogenesis of pili and DNA phage receptors. The stalkless mutants grew at a generation time similar to that of the wild-type strain at 30 degrees C. Cell size and morphology of a stalkless mutant, C. crescentus CB13 pdr-819, were also similar to those of the wild-type strain, except for the absence of a stalk. In addition, the CB13 pdr-819 predivisional cells were partitioned into smaller and larger portions, indicating asymmetrical cell division, as in the wild-type strain. From these results, it is suggested that swarmer cells undergo transition to cells of a stalked-cell nature without stalk formation and that the cell cycle of the stalkless mutant proceeds in an ordered sequence similar to that defining the wild-type cell cycle.

Full text

PDF
280

Images in this article

282Image
on p.282
285Image
on p.285

Selected References

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

  1. Agabian-Keshishian N., Shapiro L. Stalked bacteria: properties of deoxriybonucleic acid bacteriophage phiCbK. J Virol. 1970 Jun;5(6):795–800. doi: 10.1128/jvi.5.6.795-800.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Fujiki K., Fukuda A., Okada Y. Amino acid composition of peptidoglycan in Caulobacter crescentus. J Biochem. 1976 Dec;80(6):1453–1455. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a131421. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fukuda A., Miyakawa K., Iba H., Okada Y. A flagellotropic bacteriophage and flagella formation in Caulobacter. Virology. 1976 Jun;71(2):583–592. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(76)90383-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fukuda A., Miyakawa K., Iida H., Okada Y. Regulation of polar surface structures in Caulobacter crescentus: pleiotropic mutations affect the coordinate morphogenesis of flagella, pili and phage receptors. Mol Gen Genet. 1976 Dec 8;149(2):167–173. doi: 10.1007/BF00332885. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fukuda A., Okada Y. Effect of macromolecular synthesis on the coordinate morphogenesis of polar surface structures in Caulobacter crescentus. J Bacteriol. 1977 Jun;130(3):1199–1205. doi: 10.1128/jb.130.3.1199-1205.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Haars E. G., Schmidt J. M. Stalk formation and its inhibition in Caulobacter crescentus. J Bacteriol. 1974 Dec;120(3):1409–1416. doi: 10.1128/jb.120.3.1409-1416.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Jones H. C., Schmidt J. M. Ultrastructural study of crossbands occurring in the stalks of Caulobacter crescentus. J Bacteriol. 1973 Oct;116(1):466–470. doi: 10.1128/jb.116.1.466-470.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. POINDEXTER J. S. BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES AND CLASSIFICATION OF THE CAULOBACTER GROUP. Bacteriol Rev. 1964 Sep;28:231–295. doi: 10.1128/br.28.3.231-295.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. STOVEPOINDEXTER J. L., COHEN-BAZIRE G. THE FINE STRUCTURE OF STALKED BACTERIA BELONGING TO THE FAMILY CAULOBACTERACEAE. J Cell Biol. 1964 Dec;23:587–607. doi: 10.1083/jcb.23.3.587. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Schmidt J. M. Caulobacter crescentus mutants with short stalks. J Bacteriol. 1969 May;98(2):816–817. doi: 10.1128/jb.98.2.816-817.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Schmidt J. M., Samuelson G. M. Effects of cyclic nucleotides and nucleoside triphosphates on stalk formation in Caulobacter crescentus. J Bacteriol. 1972 Oct;112(1):593–601. doi: 10.1128/jb.112.1.593-601.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Schmidt J. M., Stanier R. Y. The development of cellular stalks in bacteria. J Cell Biol. 1966 Mar;28(3):423–436. doi: 10.1083/jcb.28.3.423. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Shapiro L., Agabian-Keshishian N., Hirsch A., Rosen O. M. Effect of dibutyryladenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate on growth and differentiation in Caulobacter crescentus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 May;69(5):1225–1229. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.5.1225. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Shapiro L. Differentiation in the Caulobacter cell cycle. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1976;30:377–407. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.30.100176.002113. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Shapiro L., Maizel J. V., Jr Synthesis and structure of Caulobacter crescentus flagella. J Bacteriol. 1973 Jan;113(1):478–485. doi: 10.1128/jb.113.1.478-485.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Staley J. T., Jordan T. L. Crossbands of Caulobacter crescentus stalks serve as indicators of cell age. Nature. 1973 Nov 16;246(5429):155–156. doi: 10.1038/246155a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Terrana B., Newton A. Pattern of unequal cell division and development in Caulobacter crescentus. Dev Biol. 1975 Jun;44(2):380–385. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(75)90409-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Terrana B., Newton A. Requirement of a cell division step for stalk formation in Caulobacter crescentus. J Bacteriol. 1976 Oct;128(1):456–462. doi: 10.1128/jb.128.1.456-462.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Zweerink H. J., Morgan E. M., Skyler J. S. Reovirus morphogenesis: characterization of subviral particles in infected cells. Virology. 1976 Sep;73(2):442–453. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(76)90405-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES