LanguageTerm (authority = ISO 639-3:2007); (type = text)
English
Abstract
Caulobacter crescentus is a gram-negative α-proteobacterium known for its characteristic adhesive stalk and a tolerance to nutrient deprivation. Found mostly in oligotrophic (nutrient-depleted) aquatic environments, Caulobacter responds to changes in resource availability with dynamic metabolic and morphological alterations. We isolated a mutant strain with reduced stalk length; the mutation mapped to gene CC3617, a mannose 6-phosphate isomerase. During phosphate starvation, wild-type cells maintain a 1:1 ratio of mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) and fructose 6-phosphate (F6P). Our CC3617 mutant strain, by contrast, has a relative increase in F6P. The decrease in M6P correlates with low levels of exopolysaccharide and O-antigen synthesis. Interestingly, we find that the CC3617 mutant strain does not readily enter stationary phase; rather it continuously increases cell number and represses stationary-phase gene expression. Forced induction of stationary phase promotes stalk length recovery in the CC3617 mutant strain. Furthermore, deletion of stationary phase genes in wild-type cells produce a reduction in stalk length.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Biology
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Bacteria -- Morphology
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_10005
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (vii, 59 pages) : illustrations
Note (type = degree)
M.S.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Camden Graduate School Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10005600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
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