Using a phase-locked mutant of Myxococcus xanthus to study the role of phase variation in development.

Abstract excerpt

The bacterium Myxococcus xanthus undergoes a primitive developmental cycle in response to nutrient deprivation. The cells aggregate to form fruiting bodies in which a portion of the cells differentiate into environmentally resistant myxospores. During the growth portion of the M. xanthus life cycle, the organism also undergoes a phase variation, in which cells alternate between yellow and tan colony-forming...

Topics

• Bacterial Adhesion
• Cell Division
• Genetic Complementation Test
• Genetic Variation
• Morphogenesis
• Mutation
• Myxococcus xanthus
• Pigmentation
• Spores, Bacterial