scholarly journals A Versatile Class of Cell Surface Directional Motors Gives Rise to Gliding Motility and Sporulation in Myxococcus xanthus

PLoS Biology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e1001728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgane Wartel ◽  
Adrien Ducret ◽  
Shashi Thutupalli ◽  
Fabian Czerwinski ◽  
Anne-Valérie Le Gall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Myxococcus Xanthus ◽  
Gliding Motility

scholarly journals Myxococcus xanthus dif Genes Are Required for Biogenesis of Cell Surface Fibrils Essential for Social Gliding Motility

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (20) ◽  
pp. 5793-5798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaomin Yang ◽  
Xiaoyuan Ma ◽  
Leming Tong ◽  
Heidi B. Kaplan ◽  
Lawrence J. Shimkets ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Myxococcus Xanthus ◽  
Bacterial Chemotaxis ◽  
Type Iv Pili ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Developmental Defects ◽  
Bacterial Surface ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Cell Surface Structures

ABSTRACT Myxococcus xanthus social (S) gliding motility has been previously reported by us to require the chemotaxis homologues encoded by the dif genes. In addition, two cell surface structures, type IV pili and extracellular matrix fibrils, are also critical to M. xanthus S motility. We have demonstrated here that M. xanthus dif genes are required for the biogenesis of fibrils but not for that of type IV pili. Furthermore, the developmental defects of dif mutants can be partially rescued by the addition of isolated fibril materials. Along with the chemotaxis genes of various swarming bacteria and the pilGHIJ genes of the twitching bacteriumPseudomonas aeruginosa, the M. xanthus dif genes belong to a unique class of bacterial chemotaxis genes or homologues implicated in the biogenesis of structures required for bacterial surface locomotion. Genetic studies indicate that the dif genes are linked to theM. xanthus dsp region, a locus known to be crucial forM. xanthus fibril biogenesis and S gliding.

scholarly journals The Motors Powering A-Motility in Myxococcus xanthus Are Distributed along the Cell Body

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (21) ◽  
pp. 7920-7921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleksii Sliusarenko ◽  
David R. Zusman ◽  
George Oster
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Cell Body ◽  
Myxococcus Xanthus ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Cell Length ◽  
Surface Adhesion

ABSTRACT Two models have been proposed to explain the adventurous gliding motility of Myxococcus xanthus: (i) polar secretion of slime and (ii) an unknown motor that uses cell surface adhesion complexes that form periodic attachments along the cell length. Gliding movements of the leading poles of cephalexin-treated filamentous cells were observed but not equivalent movements of the lagging poles. This demonstrates that the adventurous-motility motors are not confined to the rear of the cell.

scholarly journals CglB adhesins secreted at bacterial focal adhesions mediate gliding motility

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salim T. Islam ◽  
Laetitia My ◽  
Nicolas Y. Jolivet ◽  
Akeisha M. Belgrave ◽  
Betty Fleuchot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Focal Adhesion ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Myxococcus Xanthus ◽  
Focal Adhesions ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Bacterial Motility ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Coupling Protein ◽  
Novel Protein

AbstractThe predatory deltaproteobacterium Myxococcus xanthus uses a helically-trafficked motor at bacterial focal adhesion (bFA) sites to power gliding motility. Using TIRF and force microscopy, we herein identify the integrin αI-domain-like outer-membrane (OM) lipoprotein CglB as an essential substratum-coupling protein of the gliding motility complex. Similar to most known OM lipoproteins, CglB is anchored on the periplasmic side of the OM and thus a mechanism must exist to secrete it to the cell surface in order for it to interact with the underlying substratum. We reveal this process to be mediated by a predicted OM β-barrel structure of the gliding complex. This OM platform was found to regulate the conformational activation and secretion of CglB across the OM. These data suggest that the gliding complex promotes surface exposure of CglB at bFAs, thus explaining the manner by which forces exerted by inner-membrane motors are transduced across the cell envelope to the substratum; they also uncover a novel protein secretion mechanism, highlighting the ubiquitous connection between secretion and bacterial motility.

scholarly journals The Carboxy-Terminal Region ofFlavobacterium johnsoniaeSprB Facilitates Its Secretion by the Type IX Secretion System and Propulsion by the Gliding Motility Machinery

2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Surashree S. Kulkarni ◽  
Joseph J. Johnston ◽  
Yongtao Zhu ◽  
Zachary T. Hying ◽  
Mark J. McBride
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Type A ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Foreign Protein ◽  
Type B ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Type Ix Secretion System

ABSTRACTFlavobacterium johnsoniaeSprB moves rapidly along the cell surface, resulting in gliding motility. SprB secretion requires the type IX secretion system (T9SS). Proteins secreted by the T9SS typically have conserved C-terminal domains (CTDs) belonging to the type A CTD or type B CTD family. Attachment of 70- to 100-amino-acid type A CTDs to a foreign protein allows its secretion. Type B CTDs are common but have received little attention. Secretion of the foreign protein superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) fused to regions spanning the SprB type B CTD (sfGFP-CTDSprB) was analyzed. CTDs of 218 amino acids or longer resulted in secretion of sfGFP, whereas a 149-amino-acid region did not. Some sfGFP was secreted in soluble form, whereas the rest was attached on the cell surface. Surface-attached sfGFP was rapidly propelled along the cell, suggesting productive interaction with the motility machinery. This did not result in rapid cell movement, which apparently requires additional regions of SprB. Secretion of sfGFP-CTDSprBrequired coexpression withsprF, which lies downstream ofsprB. SprF is similar in sequence toPorphyromonas gingivalisPorP. MostF. johnsoniaegenes encoding proteins with type B CTDs lie immediately upstream ofporP/sprF-like genes. sfGFP was fused to the type B CTD from one such protein (Fjoh_3952). This resulted in secretion of sfGFP only when it was coexpressed with its cognate PorP/SprF-like protein. These results highlight the need for extended regions of type B CTDs and for coexpression with the appropriate PorP/SprF-like protein for efficient secretion and cell surface localization of cargo proteins.IMPORTANCETheF. johnsoniaegliding motility adhesin SprB is delivered to the cell surface by the type IX secretion system (T9SS) and is rapidly propelled along the cell by the motility machinery. How this 6,497-amino-acid protein interacts with the secretion and motility machines is not known. Fusion of the C-terminal 218 amino acids of SprB to a foreign cargo protein resulted in its secretion, attachment to the cell surface, and rapid movement by the motility machinery. Efficient secretion of SprB required coexpression with the outer membrane protein SprF. Secreted proteins that have sequence similarity to SprB in their C-terminal regions are common in the phylumBacteroidetesand may have roles in adhesion, motility, and virulence.

scholarly journals Sibling Rivalry in Myxococcus xanthus Is Mediated by Kin Recognition and a Polyploid Prophage

2016 ◽  
Vol 198 (6) ◽  
pp. 994-1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arup Dey ◽  
Christopher N. Vassallo ◽  
Austin C. Conklin ◽  
Darshankumar T. Pathak ◽  
Vera Troselj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Kin Recognition ◽  
Myxococcus Xanthus ◽  
Laboratory Strain ◽  
Cell Surface Receptor ◽  
Form Complex ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recognition Specificity ◽  
Surface Receptor ◽  
Evolutionary Event

ABSTRACTMyxobacteria form complex social communities that elicit multicellular behaviors. One such behavior is kin recognition, in which cells identify siblings via their polymorphic TraA cell surface receptor, to transiently fuse outer membranes and exchange their contents. In addition, outer membrane exchange (OME) regulates behaviors, such as inhibition of wild-typeMyxococcus xanthus(DK1622) from swarming. Here we monitored the fate of motile cells and surprisingly found they were killed by nonmotile siblings. The kill phenotype required OME (i.e., was TraA dependent). The genetic basis of killing was traced to ancestral strains used to construct DK1622. Specifically, the kill phenotype mapped to a large “polyploid prophage,” Mx alpha. Sensitive strains contained a 200-kb deletion that removed two of three Mx alpha units. To explain these results, we suggest that Mx alpha expresses a toxin-antitoxin cassette that uses the OME machinery ofM. xanthusto transfer a toxin that makes the population “addicted” to Mx alpha. Thus, siblings that lost Mx alpha units (no immunity) are killed by cells that harbor the element. To test this, an Mx alpha-harboring laboratory strain was engineered (bytraAallele swap) to recognize a closely related species,Myxococcus fulvus. As a result,M. fulvus, which lacks Mx alpha, was killed. These TraA-mediated antagonisms provide an explanation for how kin recognition specificity might have evolved in myxobacteria. That is, recognition specificity is determined by polymorphisms intraA, which we hypothesize were selected for because OME with non-kin leads to lethal outcomes.IMPORTANCEThe transition from single cell to multicellular life is considered a major evolutionary event. Myxobacteria have successfully made this transition. For example, in response to starvation, individual cells aggregate into multicellular fruiting bodies wherein cells differentiate into spores. To build fruits, cells need to recognize their siblings, and in part, this is mediated by the TraA cell surface receptor. Surprisingly, we report that TraA recognition can also involve sibling killing. We show that killing originates from a prophage-like element that has apparently hijacked the TraA system to deliver a toxin to kin. We hypothesize that this killing system has imposed selective pressures on kin recognition, which in turn has resulted in TraA polymorphisms and hence many different recognition groups.

scholarly journals Three-dimensional observations of an aperiodic oscillatory gliding motility behaviour in Myxococcus xanthus using confocal interference reflection microscopy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam M. Rooney ◽  
Lisa S. Kölln ◽  
Ross Scrimgeour ◽  
William B. Amos ◽  
Paul A. Hoskisson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myxococcus Xanthus ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Basal Membrane ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Topological Information ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Microscopy Techniques

The Delta-proteobacterium, Myxococcus xanthus, has been used as a model for bacterial motility and to provide insights of bacterial swarming behaviours. Fluorescence microscopy techniques have shown that various mechanisms are involved in gliding motility, but these have almost entirely been limited to 2D studies and there is currently no understanding of gliding motility in a 3D context. We present here the first use of confocal interference reflection microscopy (IRM) to study gliding bacteria, and we reveal aperiodic oscillatory behaviour with changes in the position of the basal membrane relative to the coverglass on the order of 90 nm in vitro. Firstly, we use a model plano-convex lens specimen to show how topological information can be obtained from the wavelength-dependent interference pattern in IRM. We then use IRM to observe gliding M. xanthus and show that cells undergo previously unobserved changes in their height as they glide. We compare the wild-type with mutants of reduced motility, which also exhibit the same changes in adhesion profile during gliding. We find that the general gliding behaviour is independent of the proton motive force-generating complex, AglRQS, and suggest that the novel behaviour we present here may be a result of recoil and force transmission along the length of the cell body following firing of the Type IV pili.

Genes required for both gliding motility and development in Myxococcus xanthus

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 785-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spencer D. MacNeil ◽  
Aram Mouzeyan ◽  
Patricia L Hartzell
Keyword(s):  
Myxococcus Xanthus ◽  
Gliding Motility

scholarly journals Three-Dimensional Observations of an Aperiodic Oscillatory Gliding Behavior in Myxococcus xanthus Using Confocal Interference Reflection Microscopy

mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam M. Rooney ◽  
Lisa S. Kölln ◽  
Ross Scrimgeour ◽  
William B. Amos ◽  
Paul A. Hoskisson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myxococcus Xanthus ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Oscillatory Behavior ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gliding Bacteria ◽  
Microscopy Techniques

ABSTRACT The deltaproteobacterium Myxococcus xanthus is a model for bacterial motility and has provided unprecedented insights into bacterial swarming behaviors. Fluorescence microscopy techniques have been invaluable in defining the mechanisms that are involved in gliding motility, but these have almost entirely been limited to two-dimensional (2D) studies, and there is currently no understanding of gliding motility in a three-dimensional (3D) context. We present here the first use of confocal interference reflection microscopy (IRM) to study gliding bacteria, revealing aperiodic oscillatory behavior with changes in the position of the basal membrane relative to the substrate on the order of 90 nm in vitro. First, we use a model planoconvex lens specimen to show how topological information can be obtained from the wavelength-dependent interference pattern in IRM. We then use IRM to observe gliding M. xanthus bacteria and show that cells undergo previously unobserved changes in their adhesion profile as they glide. We compare the wild type with mutants that have reduced motility, which also exhibit the same changes in the adhesion profile during gliding. We find that the general gliding behavior is independent of the proton motive force-generating complex AglRQS and suggest that the novel behavior that we present here may be a result of recoil and force transmission along the length of the cell body following firing of the type IV pili. IMPORTANCE 3D imaging of live bacteria with optical microscopy techniques is a challenge due to the small size of bacterial cells, meaning that previous studies have been limited to observing motility behavior in 2D. We introduce the application of confocal multiwavelength interference reflection microscopy to bacteria, which enables visualization of 3D motility behaviors in a single 2D image. Using the model organism Myxococcus xanthus, we identified novel motility behaviors that are not explained by current motility models, where gliding bacteria exhibit aperiodic changes in their adhesion to an underlying solid surface. We concluded that the 3D behavior was not linked to canonical motility mechanisms and that IRM could be applied to study a range of microbiological specimens with minimal adaptation to a commercial microscope.

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