Myxococcus xanthus

Classification

Bacteria; Proteobacteria; Deltaproteobacteria; Mxyococcales; xanthus

Genome Structure

The genome of Myxococcus xanthus was sequenced in 2001 and released to the public in 2001. In 2006, The Institute for Genomic Research completed the genome. The complete genome is 9.14 Mb long which is contained in a single chromosome and has a GC content of 69%. The length of the M. xanthus genome is much larger than many other delta-proteobacteria, which may be due to its complex cooperative lifestyle in the soil. The genome encodes nearly 7,500 genes.

Along with completion of the genome in 2006, Goldman and colleagues (2006) examined the genome to see why there was a length discrepancy between M. xanthus and other delta-proteobacteria. By comparing the genomes with other genomes of sequenced delta-proteobacteria they found that at least 1,500 of the genes were lineage-specific, meaning that they were duplicated and have diverged over evolutionary time. The authors state that more than the 1,500 genes with a lineage-specific Within the lineage-specific gene duplications are genes that code for STPKs, sigma-54 activator proteins, and two-component regulatory systems.

In 2007, Goldman et al. looked at the genes involved in fruiting body development and found that 73% of the genes invovled in this process are lineage specific. However, 22% of the genes have different codon biases or altered phylogeny suggesting that these genes were obtained through horizontal gene transfer.

Authors

Page authored by Devin Dobias and Suhas Devangram, Students of Prof. Jay Lennon, at Michigan State University.