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A Caulobacter gene involved in polar morphogenesis.
A Driks1, P V Schoenlein, D J DeRosier
1Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02254.
Journal of Bacteriology
|April 1, 1990
Summary
The Caulobacter crescentus flbT gene mutation disrupts cell polarity, causing abnormal stalk and flagellum formation. This study reveals defects in cell cycle timing and organelle assembly.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Cell Biology
- Bacterial Development
Background:
- Caulobacter crescentus assembles polar flagellum and stalk during the cell cycle.
- flbT mutants exhibit flagellin overproduction and impaired chemotaxis.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the role of the flbT gene in Caulobacter crescentus cell cycle and organelle biogenesis.
- Characterize structural alterations in flagellar and stalk formation in flbT mutants.
Main Methods:
- Genetic analysis of flbT mutants in Caulobacter crescentus.
- Electron microscopy of wild-type and mutant cell structures.
- Analysis of flagellin composition and cell morphology.
Main Results:
- flbT mutants display flagellated stalks, extra stalk lobes, and altered flagellin composition.
- Unusual cell types observed include filamentous and multi-stalked cells.
- A novel 10-nm polar particle structure was identified and characterized.
Conclusions:
- The flbT gene is crucial for regulating flagellum ejection and stalk initiation timing.
- Mutation in flbT disrupts the establishment of cell asymmetry in Caulobacter crescentus.
- The 10-nm polar particle is a newly identified structure at the polar cell surface.