ABSTRACT
The techniques of molecular biology and genetics are increasingly being applied to study the biology of various organisms, including bacteria in the genus Xenorhabdus. This chapter reviews the development and utilization of molecular genetics in Xenorhabdus research. For many organisms, the limiting factor is the development of a transformation system, but fortunately a number of Xenorhabdus species have been transformed with plasmids commonly used in molecular biology. Despite the biochemical similarities between the luminous system of X. luminescens and other luminous bacteria, bioluminescence in X. luminescens may not respond to environmental and physiological changes. Genes have been cloned from Xenorhabdus and expressed in both E. coli and X. luminescens. As these powerful techniques are improved and adapted for Xenorhabdus they can be used in combination with the methods of microbial physiology, biochemistry, and ecology to answer many basic questions about Xenorhabdus biology.
