Abstract

The complex life cycle of Myxococcus xanthus includes predation, swarming, fruiting-body formation and sporulation. The genome of M. xanthus is large and comprises an estimated 7,400 open reading frames, of which approximately 605 code for regulatory genes. These include eight clusters of chemotaxis-like genes that define eight chemosensory pathways, most of which have dedicated functions. Although many of these chemosensory pathways have a role in controlling motility, at least two of these pathways control gene expression during development.

Author affiliations

1. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3204, USA.
2. Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.
3. Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.

Correspondence to: David R. Zusman¹ Email: zusman@berkeley.edu

Correspondence to: John R. Kirby³ Email: john-kirby@uiowa.edu

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