The unique DKxanthene secondary metabolite family from the myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus is required for developmental sporulation.

ABSTRACT: Under starvation conditions myxobacteria form multicellular fruiting bodies in which vegetative cells differentiate into heat- and desiccation-resistant myxospores. Myxobacteria in general are a rich source of secondary metabolites that often exhibit biological activities rarely found in nature. Although the involvement of a yellow compound in sporulation and fruiting body formation of Myxococcus xanthus was described almost 30 years ago, the chemical principle of the pigment remained elusive. This work presents the isolation and structure elucidation of a unique class of pigments that were named DKxanthenes (DKX). The corresponding biosynthetic gene cluster was identified, and DKX-negative mutants were constructed to investigate the physiological role of DKX during development. In these m

SUBMITTER: Meiser P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1748187 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature