DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-110410-132547. Uncovering the Mystery of Gliding Motility in the Myxobacteria

Uncovering the Mystery of Gliding Motility in the Myxobacteria

10.1146/annurev-genet-110410-132547

Crossref journal-article

Annual Reviews

Annual Review of Genetics (22)

Abstract

Bacterial gliding motility is the smooth movement of cells on solid surfaces unaided by flagella or pili. Many diverse groups of bacteria exhibit gliding, but the mechanism of gliding motility has remained a mystery since it was first observed more than a century ago. Recent studies on the motility of Myxococcus xanthus, a soil myxobacterium, suggest a likely mechanism for gliding in this organism. About forty M. xanthus genes were shown to be involved in gliding motility, and some of their protein products were labeled and localized within cells. These studies suggest that gliding motility in M. xanthus involves large multiprotein structural complexes, regulatory proteins, and cytoskeletal filaments. In this review, we summarize recent experiments that provide the basis for this emerging view of M. xanthus motility. We also discuss alternative models for gliding.

Bibliography

Nan, B., & Zusman, D. R. (2011). Uncovering the Mystery of Gliding Motility in the Myxobacteria. Annual Review of Genetics, 45(1), 21â39.

Authors 2

Beiyan Nan (first)
David R. Zusman (additional)

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Dates

Type	When
Created	14 years, 5 months ago (March 1, 2011, 8:51 p.m.)
Deposited	1 year, 4 months ago (April 4, 2024, 1:30 p.m.)
Indexed	1 month ago (July 25, 2025, 6:36 a.m.)
Issued	13 years, 8 months ago (Dec. 15, 2011)
Published	13 years, 8 months ago (Dec. 15, 2011)
Published Print	13 years, 8 months ago (Dec. 15, 2011)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Nan_2011, title={Uncovering the Mystery of Gliding Motility in the Myxobacteria}, volume={45}, ISSN={1545-2948}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-genet-110410-132547}, DOI={10.1146/annurev-genet-110410-132547}, number={1}, journal={Annual Review of Genetics}, publisher={Annual Reviews}, author={Nan, Beiyan and Zusman, David R.}, year={2011}, month=dec, pages={21–39} }

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