Skip to main content
Log in

Genetics of gliding motility in Myxococcus xanthus (Myxobacterales): Genes controlling movement of single cells

  • Published:
Molecular and General Genetics MGG Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

M. xanthus is a gliding bacterium whose motility is subject to intercellular control. Strain DK101 of M. xanthus gives rise to 6 distinct types of nonmotile mutants and transduction of motility between mutants, mediated by the generalized transducing phage Mx8, identifies the gene loci that underlie the six types. Five of the types, B, C, D, E, and F, are contitional mutants that can be stimulated to move by wild-type cells or by cells of a different mutant type. Mutants of each stimulation type lie in separate and distinct loci, cglB, cglC, cglD, cglE and cglF. The sixth mutant type can stimulate any of the five other types to move, never moves itself, and is produced by mutations in at least 17 loci.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Burchard, R.P.: Gliding motility mutants of Myxococcus xanthus. J. Bacteriol. 104, 940–947 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Burchard, A., Burchard, R., Kloetzel, J.: Intracellular, periodic structures in the gliding bacterium Myxococcus xanthus. J. Bacteriol. 132, 666–672 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Campos, J.M., Geisselsoder, J., Zusman, D.R.: Isolation of bacteriophage Mx4, a generalized transducing phage for Myxococcus xanthus. J. Mol. Biol. 119, 167–178 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Demerec, M., Adelberg, E.A., Clark, A.J., Hartman, P.E.: A proposal for a uniform nomenclature in bacterial genetics. Genetics 54, 61–76 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Doetsch, R.N., Hageage, G.J.: Motility in procaryotic organisms: problems, points of view, and perspectives. Biol. Rev. 43, 317–362 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, M.: Nutritional regulation of morphogenesis in Myxococcus xanthus. J. Bacteriol. 86, 67–72 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, M.: Cell-cell interaction in the myxobacteria. Symp. Soc. Gen. Microbiol. 23, 125–142 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Garen, A. and Zinder, N.: Radiological evidence for partial genetic homology between bacteriophage and host bacteria. Virol. 1, 347–376 (1955)

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimm, K., Kühlwein, H.: Untersuchungen an spontanen Mutanten von Archangium violaceum (Myxobacterales). I. Bewegliche und unbewegliche Zellen von A. violaceum. Arch. Mikrobiol. 89, 105–119 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Henrichsen, J.: Bacterial surface translocation: a survey and a classification. Bact. Rev. 36, 478–503 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodgkin, J., Kaiser, D.: Cell-to-cell stimulation of movement in nonmotile mutants of Myxococcus. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 74, 2938–2942 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodgkin, J., Kaiser, D.: Genetics of gliding motility in Myxococcus xanthus (Myxobacterales): Two gene systems control movement. Mol. Gen. Genet. 171, 177–191 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kühlwein, H., Reichenbach, H.: Schwarmentwicklung und Morphogenese bei Myxobakterien. Archangium — Myxococcus — Chondrococcus — Chondromyces. Wissenschaftlicher Film C 893/1965, Inst. f. d. Wissenchaftlichen Film. Göttingen, 1968

    Google Scholar 

  • MacRae, T., McCurdy, H.: The isolation and characterization of gliding motility mutants of Myxococcus xanthus. Can. J. Microbiol. 22, 1282–1292 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, S., Sodergren, E., Masuda, T., Kaiser, D.: Systematic isolation of transducing phages for Myxococcus xanthus. Virol. 88, 44–53 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • McCurdy, H.: The fruiting myxobacteria. In: Bergey's manual of determinative bacteriology. Eighth Ed. (Buchanan and Gibbons, eds.). Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins 1974

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, E., Keller, K., Dworkin, M.: Cell density-dependent growth of Myxococcus xanthus on casein. J. Bacteriol. 129, 770–777 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wireman, J., Dworkin, M.: Morphogenesis and developmental interactions in myxobacteria. Science 189, 516–523 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Communicated by A.J. Clark

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hodgkin, J., Kaiser, D. Genetics of gliding motility in Myxococcus xanthus (Myxobacterales): Genes controlling movement of single cells. Molec. Gen. Genet. 171, 167–176 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00270003

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00270003

Keywords

Navigation