IDENTIFICATION OF A CHEMOTAXIS GENE REGION FROM PSEUDOMONAS-PUTIDA

Pseudomonas putida is chemotactic to a range of organic compounds, inc luding several aromatic compounds. Genes involved in this behavioral r esponse were identified by Tn5 mutagenesis of P. putida PRS2000, resul ting in a strain that was nonchemotactic to all chemoattractants teste d. Cloning and sequencing of the DNA al the Tn5 insertion site reveale d a 13-kb region that contained 12 open reading frames, 9 of which are homologous to chemotaxis, flagellar and motility genes in other bacte rial species. This indicates that the basic chemotaxis machinery of P. putida is similar to that of other bacterial systems, even though som e of the compounds that are sensed as attractants are different. (C) 1 998 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Els evier Science B.V.