EVIDENCE THAT GLIDING MOTILITY IN PROKARYOTIC CELLS IS DRIVEN BY ROTARY ASSEMBLIES IN THE CELL ENVELOPES

It is proposed that gliding motility in bacteria is based on rotary assemblies located in the cell envelope and that these assemblies may be analogous to basal regions of bacterial flagella. This proposal rests on the following evidence: (i) Structures resembling flagellar basal regions have been demonstrated in cells of Cytophaga johnsonae and Flexibacter columnaris, and such structures are absent from one nonmotile mutant of F. columnaris. (ii) The effects of inhibitors of energy metabolism on gliding motility are identical with their effects on prokaryotic fiagellar motility. (iii) The active movement of latex spheres along surfaces of gliding bacteria appears to depend on mechanisms responsible for motility and can be explained by the presence of rotary surface assemblies. © 1979 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.