Fibrils as extracellular appendages of bacteria: their role in contact-mediated cell-cell interactions in Myxococcus xanthus.
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.
Dworkin
M
M
Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455-0312, USA.
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D016296:Mutagenesis; D016941:Myxococcus xanthus / Q000502:physiology*; D015388:Organelles / Q000502:physiology*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins