title: Role of binding in Mycoplasma mobile and Mycoplasma pneumoniae gliding analyzed through inhibition by synthesized sialylated compounds.
abstract: Mycoplasmas, which have been shown to be the causative pathogens in recent human pneumonia epidemics, bind to solid surfaces and glide in the direction of the membrane protrusion at a pole. During gliding, the legs of the mycoplasma catch, pull, and release sialylated oligosaccharides fixed on a solid surface. Sialylated oligosaccharides are major structures on animal cell surfaces and are sometimes targeted by pathogens, such as influenza virus. In the present study, we analyzed the inhibitory effects of 16 chemically synthesized sialylated compounds on the gliding and binding of Mycoplasma mobile and Mycoplasma pneumoniae and concluded the following. (i) The recognition of sialylated oligosaccharide by mycoplasma legs proceeds in a "lock-and-key" fashion, with the binding affinity dependent on structural differences among the sialylated compounds examined. (ii) The binding of the leg and the sialylated oligosaccharide is cooperative, with Hill constants ranging from 2 to 3. (iii) Mycoplasma legs may generate a drag force after a stroke, because the gliding speed decreased and pivoting motion occurred more frequently when the number of working legs was reduced by the addition of free sialylated compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Taishi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kasai
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nakane
authors.forename: Hideharu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Hiromune
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiso
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyata
mesh_terms: D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D009068:Movement / Q000187:drug effects*; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011485:Protein Binding
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011134:Polysaccharides