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.
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Yang, Z., Guo, D., Bowden, M. et al. The Myxococcus xanthus wbgB gene encodes a glycosyltransferase homologue required for lipopolysaccharide O-antigen biosynthesis. Arch Microbiol 174, 399–405 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002030000226
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002030000226