Aims: To search for and study the genes involved in the regulation of phosphate in the soil developmental bacterium Myxococcus xanthus. Methods and Results: The mlpB gene encoding a 149 residue polypeptide was identified while screening for genes with products related to phosphate metabolism. The amino terminal 19 residues of MlpB encode a typical prokaryotic signal sequence with a putative lipoprotein cleavage site. Conclusions: In this study, a new myxobacterial putative lipoprotein is reported. The data suggest that MlpB may be involved in the secretion of phosphate-related proteins. Significance and Impact of the Study: Soil bacteria have complex regulatory systems for using inorganic phosphate. This nutrient is limiting in the environment, and has a critical importance for growth and in the initiation of differentiation for developmental bacteria. A number of proteins are involved in all these processes, including membrane lipoproteins, which are being increasingly studied in M. xanthus.