The Myxococcus xanthus wbgB gene encodes a glycosyltransferase homologue required for lipopolysaccharide O-antigen biosy
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O R I G I N A L PA P E R
Zhaomin Yang · Dongchuan Guo · M. Gabriela Bowden · Hong Sun · Leming Tong · Zhuo Li · Alfred E. Brown · Heidi B. Kaplan · Wenyuan Shi
The Myxococcus xanthus wbgB gene encodes a glycosyltransferase homologue required for lipopolysaccharide O-antigen biosynthesis Received: 29 March 2000 / Revised: 30 August 2000 / Accepted: 20 September 2000 / Published online: 9 November 2000 © Springer-Verlag 2000
Abstract Myxococcus xanthus is a gram-negative soil bacterium that initiates a complex developmental program in response to starvation. A transposon insertion (Tn5-lac Ω109) mutant with developmental deficiencies was isolated and characterized in this study. A strain containing this insertion mutation in an otherwise wild-type background showed delayed developmental aggregation for about 12 h and sporulated at 1–2% of the wild-type level. Tn5-lac Ω109 was found to have disrupted the M. xanthus wbgB gene, which is located 2.1 kb downstream of the M. xanthus lipopolysacharide (LPS) O-antigen biosynthesis genes wzm wzt wbgA. The deduced polypeptide sequence of WbgB shares significant similarity with bacterial glycosyltransferases including M. xanthus WbgA. The wbgB::Tn5-lac Ω109 mutant was found to be defective in LPS O-antigen synthesis by immunochemical analysis. Further mutational analysis indicated that the defects of the wbgB::Tn5-lac Ω109 mutant were not the result of polar effects on downstream genes. Various motility assays demonstrated that the Tn5-lac Ω109 mutation affected both social (S) and adventurous (A) gliding motility of M. xanthus cells. The pleiotrophic effects of wbgB mutations indicate the importance of LPS O-antigen biosynthesis for various cellular functions in M. xanthus. Keywords Myxobacteria · Myxococcus · Lipopolysaccharide · O-antigen · Gliding motility · Development · Fruiting body
Z. Yang (✉) · Z. Li · A. E. Brown Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA e-mail: [email protected], Tel.: +1-334-8441656, Fax: +1-334-8441645 D. Guo · G. B. Bowden · H. B. Kaplan Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA H. Sun · L. Tong · W. Shi School of Dentistry, Molecular Biology Institute and Dental Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1668, USA
Abbreviations. LPS Lipopolysaccharide · A-motility Adventurous motility · S-motility Social motility
Introduction Myxococcus xanthus is a gram-negative soil bacterium that can move on a solid surface without the aid of flagella (Hartzell and Youderian 1995; Spormann 1999). Two genetically and behaviorally distinct systems have been defined for the control of M. xanthus gliding motility (Hodgkin and Kaiser 1979a, b), adventurous (A)-motility and social (S)-motility. Mutations in A- or S-motility genes inactivate the corresponding system, but cells are still motile by virtue of the remaining system. A+S– (A-motile) cells retain A-motility behavior and the ability to move as single cells. A–S+ (S-motile) cells
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