An upgraded Myxococcus xanthus chassis with enhanced growth characteristics for efficient genetic manipulation

Myxobacteria are well known for multicellular social behaviors and valued for biosynthesis of natural products. Myxobacteria social behaviors such as clumping growth severely hamper strain cultivation and genetic manipulation. Using Myxococcus xanthus DK1622, we engineered Hu04, which is deficient in multicellular behavior and pigmentation. Hu04, while maintaining nutritional growth and a similar metabolic background, exhibits improved dispersed growth, streamlining operational procedures. It achieves high cell densities in culture and is promising for synthetic biology applications.