Cell-to-cell transfer of bacterial outer membrane lipoproteins.
Myxococcus xanthus cells can glide forward by retracting type IV pili. Tgl, an outer membrane lipoprotein, is necessary to assemble pili. Tgl mutants can be transiently "stimulated" if brought into end-to-end contact with tgl+ donor cells. By separating the stimulated recipient cells from donor cells, we found that Tgl protein was transferred from the donors to the rescued recipient cells. Mutants lacking CglB lipoprotein, which is part of a second gliding engine, could also be stimulated, and CglB protein was transferred from donor to recipient cells. The high transfer efficiency of Tgl and CglB proteins suggests that donor and recipient cells briefly fuse their outer membranes.
Departments of Developmental Biology and Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, B300 Beckman Center, 279 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Eric
E
Nudleman
Daniel
D
Wall
Dale
D
Kaiser
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008561:Membrane Fusion; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast; D009068:Movement; D009154:Mutation; D016941:Myxococcus xanthus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C120331:CglB protein, Myxococcus xanthus; D008074:Lipoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C107109:Tgl protein, Myxococcus xanthus; C084295:pilQ protein, bacteria; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins