A molecular clutch disables flagella in the Bacillus subtilis biofilm.
Biofilms are multicellular aggregates of sessile bacteria encased by an extracellular matrix and are important medically as a source of drug-resistant microbes. In Bacillus subtilis, we found that an operon required for biofilm matrix biosynthesis also encoded an inhibitor of motility, EpsE. EpsE arrested flagellar rotation in a manner similar to that of a clutch, by disengaging motor force-generating elements in cells embedded in the biofilm matrix. The clutch is a simple, rapid, and potentially reversible form of motility control.
Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
Kris M
KM
Blair
Linda
L
Turner
Jared T
JT
Winkelman
Howard C
HC
Berg
Daniel B
DB
Kearns
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009068:Movement; D009154:Mutation; D009876:Operon; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins; C063010:MotA protein, Bacteria; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C076733:FlaD protein, Bacteria