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Fibrils as extracellular appendages of bacteria: Their role in contact‐mediated cell‐cell interactions in Myxococcus xanthus
Author(s) -
Dworkin Martin
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-1878(199907)21:7<590::aid-bies7>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - myxococcus xanthus , organelle , bacteria , fibril , extracellular , microbiology and biotechnology , cell , cell wall , biology , bacterial cell structure , biochemistry , genetics , gene , mutant
Social behavior in the myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus involves epicellular, peritrichous appendages called fibrils. These are polysaccharide organelles containing a set of tightly adhering proteins. It is proposed that cell‐cell contact is perceived by the fibrils and is mediated by the action of a fibrillar ADP‐ribosyl transferase. Fibrils or fibril‐like organelles have also been found on a variety of other gram‐negative bacteria and at least one archaeon, and may mediate cell‐cell contact between the bacteria themselves or between the bacteria and their eukaryotic host cells. BioEssays 21:590–595, 1999. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.