Highly Signal-Responsive Gene Regulatory Network Governing Myxococcus Development.

ABSTRACT: The bacterium Myxococcus xanthus undergoes multicellular development when starved. Thousands of cells build mounds in which some differentiate into spores. This remarkable feat and the genetic tractability of Myxococcus provide a unique opportunity to understand the evolution of gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Recent work has revealed a GRN involving interconnected cascades of signal-responsive transcriptional activators. Initially, starvation-induced intracellular signals direct changes in gene expression. Subsequently, self-generated extracellular signals provide morphological cues that regulate certain transcriptional activators. However, signals for many of the activators remain to be discovered. A key insight is that activators often work combinatorially, allowing signal integration.

SUBMITTER: Kroos L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5182100 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature