Cappable-seq analysis of Myxococcus xanthus at various developmental time points

Myxococcus xanthus is a model organism for studying social behaviors and cell differentiation in bacteria. Upon nutrient depletion, M. xanthus cells initiate a developmental program that culminates in formation of spore-filled fruiting bodies and peripheral rods outside of fruiting bodies. Completion of this developmental program depends on fine-tuned spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression, intercellular communication, signaling by nucleotide-based second messengers, and motility. In order to understand regulation of gene expression during growth and development, transcription start sites were identified using Cappable-seq. To this end, we extracted total RNA from vegetative cells (referred as 0 h of development) and from cells developed for 6, 12, 18 and 24 h under submerged conditions in two replicates.