The function of fimbriae in Myxococcus xanthus. I. Purification and properties of M. xanthus fimbriae.
Myxococcus xanthus fimbriae have been purified and characterized as part of a study of the function of fimbriae in this prokaryote. Myxococcus xanthus produced two types of fimbriae, termed flaccid (F) and rigid (R) on the basis of electron microscopy. F and R fimbriae differed slightly in their response to pH and freeze-thaw regimes but were similar in their resistance to hydrolytic enzymes, amino acid composition, molecular weight, carbohydrate content, and antigenic determinants. Although the precise relationship between F and R fimbriae is unknown, the possibility is considered that F fimbriae might represent a "contracted" form of the R type. Studies designed to determine fimbriae function in M. xanthus are described in an accompanying report.
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009231:Myxococcales / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure*
D000596:Amino Acids; D001426:Bacterial Proteins