Regulated pole-to-pole oscillations of a bacterial gliding motility protein.
Little is known about directed motility of bacteria that move by type IV pilus-mediated (twitching) motility. Here, we found that during periodic cell reversals of Myxoccocus xanthus, type IV pili were disassembled at one pole and reassembled at the other pole. Accompanying these reversals, FrzS, a protein required for directed motility, moved in an oscillatory pattern between the cell poles. The frequency of the oscillations was controlled by the Frz chemosensory system, which is essential for directed motility. Pole-to-pole migration of FrzS appeared to involve movement along a filament running the length of the cell. FrzS dynamics may thus regulate cell polarity during directed motility.
Mignot
Tâm
T
University of California, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Berkeley, CA 94720-3204, USA.
Merlie
John P
JP
Zusman
David R
DR
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016764:Cell Polarity; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology*; D036681:Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009068:Movement; D009154:Mutation; D016941:Myxococcus xanthus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C415990:FrzS protein, Myxococcus xanthus; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins