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Abstract
Transposon insertion mutants defective in M. xanthus fruiting body formation were characterized. Mutant strains RC277 and RC280 could not form fruiting bodies and sporulate while LS423 produced irregular fruiting bodies. The insertion in RC277 disrupted a gene homologous to a subtilisin gene. RC280 contained an insertion in a gene homologous to a histidine kinase and response regulator gene. LS423 contained a disruption in a gene homologous to a sugar kinase gene. Extracellular C-signal, produced by csgA, mediates aggregation and sporulation. Signaling mutants, such as csgA, can be rescued by codevelopment with wild type cells. The mutants failed to rescue csgA when codeveloped but Western blots indicated production of CsgA proteins. Strains RC277 and RC80 inhibited wild type development when mixed with wild type.