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

该项目旨在研究最近发现的一类新的次级代谢产物-DKxanthenes -在粘细菌模式生物粘球菌（Myxococcus xanthus）子实体形成过程中的作用。在饥饿条件下，细胞进入发育生命周期，其在营养细胞分化为子实体内的抗胁迫粘孢子时达到高潮。不能产生DK咕吨色素的突变体显示出在成熟孢子产生中强烈延迟。潜在的机制仍然不清楚，即使脂质样结构和指定的抗氧化能力的DK xanthenes赋予保护作用，最有可能在细胞膜内。为了了解DK吨类化合物存在和缺失的生理过程，本研究旨在从分子生物学水平上分析DK吨类化合物的生物合成，以及确定M. xanthus野生型和DK咕吨阴性细胞。

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.