The Sugar Phosphotransferase System of <i>Vibrio fischeri</i> Inhibits both Motility and Bioluminescence

Abstract

Magnesium-dependent induction of Vibrio fischeri flagellar (Mif) biogenesis depends upon two diguanylate cyclases, suggesting an inhibitory role for cyclic di-GMP. Here, we report that cells defective for the sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) exhibited a magnesium-independent phenotype similar to that of mutants of the Mif pathway. Unlike Mif mutants, PTS mutants also were hyperbioluminescent.