Identification of a development-specific promoter of Myxococcus xanthus

In the chromosome of Myxococcus xanthus, two homologous genes for protein S, a development-specific protein, are tandemly repeated with a 1.4 X 10(3) base-pair sequence between the two genes. Two synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotides were used as specific probes for individual transcripts from the upstream gene 1 and the downstream gene 2, respectively. The gene 2 transcript was detected only during developmental growth, while the gene 1 transcript was not detected during developmental or vegetative growth. The major initiation site for the gene 2 transcription was determined to be 51 bases upstream of the initiation codon for gene 2. The development-specific promoter of gene 2 was identified; it shows some homologies to the Escherichia coli promoter structures.