The complete genome sequence and analysis of a plasmid-bearing myxobacterial strain Myxococcus fulvus 124B02 (M 206081)

Myxobacteria, phylogenetically located in the delta division of the Proteobacteria, are well known for characterized social behaviors and large genomes of more than 9 Mb in size. Myxococcus fulvus is a typical species of the genus Myxococcus in the family Myxococcaceae. M. fulvus 124B02, originally isolated from a soil sample collected in Northeast China, is the one and only presently known myxobacterial strain that harbors an endogenous autonomously replicating plasmid, named pMF1. The endogenous plasmid is of importance for understanding the genome evolution of myxobacteria, as well as for the development of genetic engineering tools in myxobacteria. Here we describe the complete genome sequence of this organism. M. fulvus 124B02 consists of a circular chromosome with a total length of 11,048,835 bp and a circular plasmid of 18,634 bp. Comparative genomic analyses suggest that pMF1 has a longstanding sustention within myxobacteria, and probably contributes to the genome expansion of myxobacteria.