Genetics of E. coli Development

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Proteus mirabilis exhibits two biological phenomena that merit detailed genetic analysis: (1) Swarm colony development, involving regular cycles of bacterial growth, cellular differentiation and migration of multicellular groups; and (2) the Dienes reaction, whereby two swarms from different strains produce specific boundary structures when they encounter each other on a common substrate. These two aspects of Proteus biology raise fundamental questions about how multicellular biological patterns are generated and how self/non-self recognition occurs. The proposed research entails the use of in vivo methods for insertional mutagenesis and molecular cloning to identify segments of the genomes of different P.mirabilis strains which encode components of the systems that control morphogenesis and strain identity. The research will test specific hypotheses about the role of diffusible substances in guiding swarm colony development and about the role of prophage sequences in interstrain boundary formation. The data will provide a foundation for a molecular comparison of the many (possible over a billion) distinct strains which comprise the species P. mirabilis, and these results will serve as a basis for understanding multicellular controls and how they operate as bacteria function in natural environments.