Gliding Motility and Taxes

Burchard, Robert P.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-8280-5_7

Cited by 50 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The macromolecular mechanism of this kind of cellular movement is still enigmatic. Several models have been proposed which offer diverse mechanomacromolecular and physico-chemical solutions of how bacterial gliding motility is established (Burchard, 1981(Burchard, , 1984Castenholz, 1982 ;Pate, 1988 ;Dworkin, 1996 ;Spormann, 1999). From the literature, it can be learned that gliding motility is a rather complex phenomenon, based on and influenced by an intrinsic apparatus responsible for mechanical work (Burchard et al, 1977 ;Pate & Chang, 1979 ;Lu$ nsdorf & Reichenbach, 1989), motility-supporting extracellular slime (Humphrey et al, 1979 ;Sutherland & Thomson, 1975 ;Sutherland, 1979 ;Gorski et al, 1993), components of the outer membrane (Gorski et al, 1992 ;Abbanat et al, 1986) and surface active compounds (Keller et al, 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frozen motion of gliding bacteria outlines inherent features of the motility apparatus

Lünsdorf

Schairer

2001

Microbiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

High-resolution data of actively gliding wild-type bacteria of four different species and of four different gliding mutants of Myxococcus xanthus were obtained from scanning electron micrographs. By shock freezing and freeze drying, motility-associated surface patterns could be fixed and consequently distinct intermediate states of motion could be observed for the first time. It is shown that these topographic patterns are immediately lost when gliding motility is stopped by blocking the respiratory chain with potassium cyanide or sodium azide. From the surface topography, the mode of action of the gliding apparatus of all four bacterial species examined can be described as a twisted circularly closed ' band '. During gliding, groups of nodes of the supertwisted apparatus show evidence of travelling like waves along the trichomes. However, the spacing between the nodes is not constant but varies within a certain range. This indicates that they are flexibly modulated as a consequence of the gliding state of the individual trichome.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frozen motion of gliding bacteria outlines inherent features of the motility apparatus

Lünsdorf

Schairer

2001

Microbiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In their model outer membrane components are driven along these tracks by periplasmic and cell membrane proteins that obtain energy from the proton motive force (28). Other models to explain gliding of members of the CFB group include contraction or expansion of fibrils in the periplasm or cytoplasm (9), the functioning of rotary motors (34), the generation of waves in the outer membrane (13), and the movement of conveyor belts made of polysaccharide or protein along the cell surface (30).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cloning and Characterization of the Flavobacterium johnsoniae Gliding Motility Genes gldD and gldE

Hunnicutt

McBride

2001

J Bacteriol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cells of Flavobacterium johnsoniae move over surfaces by a process known as gliding motility. The mechanism of this form of motility is not known. Cells of F. johnsoniae propel latex spheres along their surfaces, which is thought to be a manifestation of the motility machinery. Three of the genes that are required for F. johnsoniae gliding motility, gldA, gldB, and ftsX, have recently been described. Tn4351 mutagenesis was used to identify another gene, gldD, that is needed for gliding. Tn4351-induced gldD mutants formed nonspreading colonies, and cells failed to glide. They also lacked the ability to propel latex spheres and were resistant to bacteriophages that infect wild-type cells. Introduction of wild-type gldD into the mutants restored motility, ability to propel latex spheres, and sensitivity to bacteriophage infection. gldD codes for a cytoplasmic membrane protein that does not exhibit strong sequence similarity to proteins of known function. gldE, which lies immediately upstream of gldD, encodes another cytoplasmic membrane protein that may be involved in gliding motility. Overexpression of gldE partially suppressed the motility defects of a gldB point mutant, suggesting that GldB and GldE may interact. GldE exhibits sequence similarity to Borrelia burgdorferi TlyC and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium CorC.

show abstract

“…It has been shown repeatedly and for various microorganisms that gliding movement is driven directly by the proton motive force and is independent from ATP (4,14,17,19,28,34). Thus, the energy has to be transmitted to the strands in order to induce in this macromolecular ensemble a possibly synchronized wave of conformational changes in an until now unknown manner (for details on the conformational flexibility of the strands, see reference 25).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Further characterization and in situ localization of chain-like aggregates of the gliding bacteria Myxococcus fulvus and Myxococcus xanthus

1997

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

For the first time, chain-like aggregates, called "strands," have been enriched from crude cell wall preparations of liquid-grown vegetative cells of two strains of Myxococcus xanthus. These strands are highly isomorphic to macromolecular structures, previously described for Myxococcus fulvus (Lünsdorf and Reichenbach, J. Gen. Microbiol. 135:1633-1641, 1989). The strands are morphologically composed of ring elements, consisting of six or more peripheral protein masses and possibly three small central masses. The ring elements are linked by two parallel strings of filamentous proteins, called elongated elements, which keep the ring elements at a constant distance. The overall dimensions of the ring elements are 16.6 ؎ 1.0 nm (n ‫؍‬ 55) for M. xanthus Mx x48 and 16.4 ؎ 1.5 nm (n ‫؍‬ 37) for M. xanthus DK 1622. The distance between the ring elements, as a measure of the length of the elongated elements, is 16.6 ؎ 1.1 nm (n ‫؍‬ 59) for strain Mx x48 and 15.5 ؎ 0.6 nm (n ‫؍‬ 41) for strain DK 1622. Characteristically, the strands and oligomeric forms thereof show a strict association with the outer membrane. In situ studies of freeze-fractured cells of M. fulvus showed ring elements, isomorphic to those described for M. xanthus, within the periplasm; they appeared in parallel rows just below the outer membrane but not in direct contact with the cytoplasmic membrane. A three-dimensional model summarizes the morphological data. It is hypothesized that the chain-like strands, as building blocks of a more complex belt-like continuum, represent the peripheral part of the gliding machinery, which transforms membrane potential energy into mechanical work.

show abstract

Gliding Motility and Taxes

Cited by 50 publications

References 0 publications

Frozen motion of gliding bacteria outlines inherent features of the motility apparatus

Frozen motion of gliding bacteria outlines inherent features of the motility apparatus

Cloning and Characterization of the Flavobacterium johnsoniae Gliding Motility Genes gldD and gldE

Further characterization and in situ localization of chain-like aggregates of the gliding bacteria Myxococcus fulvus and Myxococcus xanthus

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About