title: A quantitative assay to study cell movement in the myxobacteria.
abstract: A simple quantitative assay has been developed to test the rate of cell movement of myxobacteria. The assay employs an agar surface and at no time are the cells cultured in a liquid environment. Isolation of a rate-increasing substance(s) from fruiting Myxococcus xanthus is reported. The understanding of the aggregative process in these bacteria will be aided by characterization of the chemotactic system.
mesh_terms: D000362:Agar; D002449:Cell Aggregation; D002633:Chemotaxis; D009231:Myxococcales / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000362:Agar