[Genetics in methylotrophic bacteria]. Progress report, July 1, 1992--June 30, 1995

The focus of this project has been to identify and characterize mox genes and other methylotrophy genes in both methane- and methanol-utilizing bacteria, and study expression of those genes. In the last three years of support, the project has focused on identifying methylotrophy genes and the regions involved in their expression for comparative purposes, and has begun the process of analyzing the genes involved in transcriptional regulation of the mox system in the strain for which the authors have the most information, M. extorquens AM1. In order to carry out comparative studies of the transcription of methylotrophy genes, they have cloned and characterized genes involved in methanol oxidation (mox genes) from two Type I methanotrophs, Methylobacter marinus A45 (formerly Methylomonas sp A45) and Methylobacter albus BG8 (formerly Methylomonas albus BG8). In both cases, the organization of the genes was found to be identical, and the transcriptional start sites upstream of the mxaF genes were mapped. Other methylotrophy genes have been cloned and characterized from these methanotrophs, including mxaAKL and fdh. The rest of this project has focused on the regulatory network for the mox system in M. extorquens AM1. The authors have sequenced two mox regulatory genes, mxbD and mxbM and they show identify with a specific group of sensor-kinase/response regulator pair systems