INTERCELLULAR SIGNALING IN MYXOCOCCUS XANTHUS

描述：这项研究的长期目标是了解 细菌用于细胞间相互作用的分子机制。这 提案的重点是研究一种模式细菌的细胞间信号， 黄色粘球菌。黄色分枝杆菌是一种革兰氏阴性细菌，表现出 多种多细胞行为。当缺乏营养时，细胞 聚集形成子实体，这是一个涉及趋化作用的过程 运动和细胞间信号传递。此前的研究表明， 发育中的细胞在饥饿期间释放趋化物质， 化学感受剂被化学感觉系统感知并传递到FRZ。 趋化系统。这项研究的目的是找出化学物质 发育性化学诱导剂的性质和理解如何 信号分子被化学传感系统感知并传递到 FRZ趋化系统。 这里介绍了遗传、分子生物学和生物化学方法。 用于：1)一组不能产生或感觉到 发育中的化学诱导剂将被分离和鉴定。2) 有趣的突变基因将被克隆和测序； 将对基因表达进行研究。3)基因的生化性质 将重点研究产品的生产或生产功能 感知发育中的化学诱导剂；细胞外基质 发育细胞将被收集并分离，用于发育 化学诱导剂。对黄瓜细胞间信号转导的了解可能 洞察其他生物系统的信号机制。

DESCRIPTION: The long-term goal of this research is to understand the molecular mechanisms which bacteria use for cell-cell interactions. This proposal focuses on studying intercellular signaling of a model bacterium, Myxococcus xanthus. M. xanthus is a Gram-negative bacterium that exhibits a variety of multicellular behaviors. When deprived of nutrients, cells aggregate to form fruiting bodies, a process that involves chemotactic movement and intercellular signaling. Previous studies showed that developmental cells release chemoattractants during starvation and that the chemoattractants are sensed by chemosensory systems and relayed into the frz chemotaxis system. The objectives of the study are to find out the chemical natures of the developmental chemoattractants and to understand how the signal molecules are sensed by the chemosensory systems and relayed into the frz chemotaxis system. Described here are the genetic, molecular biological and biochemical methods to be used: 1) A set of mutants which fail to produce or sense the developmental chemoattractants will be isolated and characterized. 2) The interesting mutation genes will be cloned and sequenced; the regulation of gene expression will be studied. 3) The biochemical properties of the gene products will be studied with emphasis on the functions for producing or sensing developmental chemoattractants; extracellular matrix of developmental cells will be collected and fractionated for the developmental chemoattractants. Knowledge of intercellular signaling of M. xanthus could give insights into signaling mechanisms of other biological systems.