title: The kinky propulsion of Spiroplasma.
abstract: Bacteria have evolved many different means of generating movement. In this issue of Cell, Shaevitz et al. (2005) describe the swimming movement of a helical bacterium called Spiroplasma. They discover that Spiroplasma propels itself by generating two temporally distinct kinks that travel the length of the bacterium. These results point to the existence of a contractile apparatus that drives cell movement.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut Health Center, Department of Cell Biology, Farmington, Connecticut 06030, USA.
authors.forename: Charles W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Wolgemuth
authors.forename: Nyles W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Charon
mesh_terms: D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D013149:Spiroplasma / Q000502:physiology*