Surface Structure of Gliding Bacteria After Freeze-Etching

Abstract

Ultrastructural studies of gliding bacteria demonstrate 10to 11-nm beads on the inner surface of the outer bilayer of Cytophaga columnaris. These were not found in Myxococcus xanthus. On treatment with glutaraldehyde and ethanol, the beads appear in linear arrays.

Gliding motility of Cytophaga sp. strain U67

“…The spots are of different brightness because the spheres tend to form monomers, dimers, trimers, and higher aggregates; successive exposures of the same cells were identical. Bar, 10 ,um. 12.…”

Fruiting-body formation and myxospore differentiation and germination in Mxyococcus xanthus viewed by scanning electron microscopy

“…Furthermore, no ultrastructural differences aring along were observed when motile and immotile strains Lls (Fig. 18, of M. xanthus were compared (5). McCurdy has e first syn-suggested that slime track deposition may play ch occurred a role in oriented cell streaming during fruiting-D fresh me-body formation in Chondromyces (12).…”

Characterization of swimming motility in a marine unicellular cyanobacterium

“…They are not analogous to eucaryotic microfibri1s since trichomes continue to glide in the presence of cytocha1asin B (Schimz, 1981) and gliding is driven by a proton motive force rather than ATP hydrolysis (G1ago1eva et a1., 1980). F1exibacter po1ymorphus was once though to possess similar fibrils (Pate and Orda1, 1967), but these were proved to be glutaraldehyde fixation artifacts when examined by freeze-etch electron microscopy (Buchard and Brown, 1973). c) Rotary discs: Pate and Chang (1979) report numerous rotary assemblages within the cell envelope of F1exibacter co1umnaris…”