Velicer Ongoing Research Project

Since fall 2006, the Velicer Group has moved to the Indiana University, USA.

The project decribed below is carried out in Tuebingen.

Mutational and molecular mechanisms of novel evolved social motility.

Previously, the normal mechanism of social motility in M. xanthus (using Type IV pili) was completely eliminated by gene deletion and novel forms of social swarming were observed to evolve under strong positive selection (Velicer & Yu, Nature 2003). We have sequenced the genotype of one lineage that re-evolved the ability to undergo social swarming and have reconstructed the mutational history of this lineage. We are now performing functional tests of each accumulated mutation for their effects on phenotype and fitness and are evaluating the transcriptome of the evolved genotype relative to that of the wild-type ancestor that retains normal social motility (Heike Keller, Silvia Deiss, Yuen-Tsu Yu, Gregory Velicer).

Scientists involved

• Gregory Velicer, Project leader at Indiana University
  
• Heike Keller, Technician