title: Identification and characterization of a novel locus in Cytophaga hutchinsonii involved in colony spreading and cellulose digestion.
abstract: Cytophaga hutchinsonii, an aerobic cellulolytic soil bacterium, is capable of degrading crystalline cellulose and gliding over surface rapidly. The involved mechanisms, however, are largely unknown. Here, we used the mariner-based transposon HimarEm1 to screen for C. hutchinsonii mutants deficient in utilizing filter paper as the sole carbon source. A novel gene locus, chu_1719, encoding a hypothetical protein was identified, whose inactivation resulted in a compromised growth of C. hutchinsonii on filter paper. Further analysis revealed that disruption of chu_1719 suppressed colony spreading but had no significant effect on Avicel degradation in liquid medium. Carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) activity of the mutant membrane proteins was reduced by about 40% as compared with the wild-type strain. Moreover, profiles of cellulose-adsorbed outer membrane proteins were significantly different between the mutant and wild-type (WT) strains. These results suggest that chu_1719 plays an important role in controlling the spreading motility and cellulose utilization probably by affecting the appropriate production of membrane proteins in C. hutchinsonii.
authors: The State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, School of Life Science, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
authors: Hong
authors: H
authors: Zhou
authors: Xia
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Tengteng
authors: T
authors: Yang
authors: Weixin
authors: W
authors: Zhang
authors: Guanjun
authors: G
authors: Chen
authors: Weifeng
authors: W
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002480:Cellulase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002482:Cellulose / Q000378:metabolism*; D003589:Cytophaga / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D056426:Genetic Loci
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002482:Cellulose; D002480:Cellulase; C019826:carboxymethylcellulase