title: Superchannel of bacteria: biological significance and new horizons.
abstract: Sphingomonas species A1 is a newly identified pit-forming bacterium that directly incorporates a macromolecule (alginate) into its cytoplasm through a pit-dependent transport system, which we termed a superchannel. A pit is a novel, high-dimensional organ acquired through the fluidity and reconstitution of cell surface molecules, including flagellin, and through cooperation with the transport machinery in the cells, which confers upon bacterial cells a more efficient way to secure and assimilate macromolecules. The analysis of the superchannel changes general ideas regarding the fluidity and function of the cell surface, evolution and origin of cell-surface organs, including flagella, transport, and assimilation systems of macromolecules, and the divergence and energetics of metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Basic and Applied Molecular Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan. kmurata@kais.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kousaku
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Bunzo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mikami
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000378:metabolism; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001692:Biological Transport; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D011133:Polysaccharide-Lyases / Q000378:metabolism; D020578:Sphingomonas / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D011133:Polysaccharide-Lyases