When bacteria are exposed to harsh environmental conditions, they often respond by forming spores that enable them to survive until conditions become more favorable for growth. This project studies the sporulation process in the Gram-negative bacterial species, Myxococcus xanthus. In response to starvation, M. xanthus cells aggregate and form multi-cellular, spore-filled fruiting bodies. As cells aggregate and form spores, they begin to communicate with one another, a process essential for the formation of fruiting bodies. The goal of this research is to identify proteins that are important in the sporulation process. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis will be used to identify M. xanthus proteins that are expressed at relatively high levels in the spore cells compared to non-spore cells (vegetative cells). Once differentially expressed proteins are identified, the genes responsible for making these proteins will be characterized by mutational analysis. For the mutational studies, M. xanthus strains carrying inactivated copies of potential spore genes will be tested to see what sporulation defects, if any, occur when vegetative cells are exposed to starvation. By using a combination of proteomic and mutational analyses, the researchers will begin to unravel the molecular pathways of spore formation in M. xanthus. Spore formation is a concern in such diverse areas as food safety, bioterrorism, and infectious disease, and a better understanding of the biological process of spore formation is clearly important. There is little information available about spore formation in Gram-negative species, although the process is more well-studied for the Gram-positive species. Minority students will be actively recruited for this project, which will involve both undergraduate and graduate students. The students will receive valuable training in proteomics and genetics.
