title: Operon required for fruiting body development in Myxococcus xanthus.
abstract: We have used mutational analysis to identify four genes, MXAN3553, MXAN3554, MXAN3555, and MXAN3556, constituting an operon that is essential for normal fruiting body development in Myxococcus xanthus. Deletion of MXAN3553, which encoded a hypothetical protein, resulted in delayed fruiting body development. MXAN3554 was predicted to encode a metallopeptidase, and its deletion caused fruiting body formation to fail. Inactivation of MXAN3555, which encoded a putative NtrC-type response regulator, resulted in delayed aggregation and a severe reduction in sporulation. Fruiting bodies also failed to develop with the deletion of MXAN3556, another gene encoding a hypothetical protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Changwon National University, Changwon 641-773, Korea.
authors.forename: Dohee
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jinwoo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Hyesook
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hyun
authors.forename: Chayul
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kyoung
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kyungyun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D045726:Metalloproteases / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics; D016941:Myxococcus xanthus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D009876:Operon; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D014157:Transcription Factors; D045726:Metalloproteases