title: SprB is a cell surface component of the Flavobacterium johnsoniae gliding motility machinery.
abstract: Cells of the gliding bacterium Flavobacterium johnsoniae move rapidly over surfaces by an unknown mechanism. Transposon insertions in sprB resulted in cells that were defective in gliding. SprB is a highly repetitive 669-kDa cell surface protein, and antibodies against SprB inhibited the motility of wild-type cells. Polystyrene microspheres coated with antibodies against SprB attached to and were rapidly propelled along the cell surface, suggesting that SprB is one of the outermost components of the motility machinery. The movement of SprB along the cell surface supports a model of gliding motility in which motors anchored to the cell wall rapidly propel cell surface adhesins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3209 N. Maryland Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA.
authors.forename: Shawn S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Sreelekha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bollampalli
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: McBride
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000254:growth & development; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005417:Flavobacterium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology; D008124:Locomotion / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D008565:Membrane Proteins