The Myxococcus xanthus pilQ (sglA) gene encodes a secretin homolog required for type IV pilus biogenesis, social motility, and development.

ABSTRACT: The Myxococcus xanthus sglA1 spontaneous mutation was originally isolated because it allowed dispersed cell growth in liquid yet retained the ability to form fruiting bodies. Consequently, most of today's laboratory strains either contain the sglA1 mutation or were derived from strains that carry it. Subsequent work showed that sglA was a gene for social gliding motility, a process which is mediated by type IV pili. Here sglA is shown to map to the major pil cluster and to encode a 901-amino-acid open reading frame (ORF) that is homologous to the secretin superfamily of proteins. Secretins form a channel in the outer membrane for the transport of macromolecules. The closest homologs found were PilQ proteins from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which are required for type

SUBMITTER: Wall D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC103527 | biostudies-literature | 1999 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature