Elucidation of the biosynthesis and the biological function of DKxanthenes during fruiting body formation in Myxococcus xanthus

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This project aims to investigate the role of a recently discovered novel class of secondary metabolites - the DKxanthenes - during fruiting body formation by the myxobacterial model organism Myxococcus xanthus. Under starvation conditions, cells enter the developmental life cycle which culminates in the differentiation of vegetative cells into stress-resistant myxospores within the fruiting body. Mutants unable to produce the DKxanthene pigments were shown to be strongly delayed in mature spore production. The underlying mechanism remains unclear, even though the lipid-like structure and the assigned antioxidative capacity of the DKxanthenes imparts a protective effect, most likely within the cell membrane. In order to understand the physiological processes underlying the absence and/or presence of the DKxanthenes, this work aims to analyze DKxanthene biosynthesis on the molecular biological level, as well as to determine the differing morphological and stress-resistance properties of M. xanthus wild type and DKxanthene-negative cells.