title: Fibrils as extracellular appendages of bacteria: their role in contact-mediated cell-cell interactions in Myxococcus xanthus.
abstract: Social behavior in the myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus involves epicellular, peritrichous appendages called fibrils. These are polysaccharide organelles containing a set of tightly adhering proteins. It is proposed that cell-cell contact is perceived by the fibrils and is mediated by the action of a fibrillar ADP-ribosyl transferase. Fibrils or fibril-like organelles have also been found on a variety of other gram-negative bacteria and at least one archaeon, and may mediate cell-cell contact between the bacteria themselves or between the bacteria and their eukaryotic host cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455-0312, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dworkin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D016296:Mutagenesis; D016941:Myxococcus xanthus / Q000502:physiology*; D015388:Organelles / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins