Localization of a bacterial cytoplasmic receptor is dynamic and changes with cell-cell contacts

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 106; no. 12; pp. 4852 - 4857
• Main Authors: Mauriello, Emilia M.F, Astling, David P, Sliusarenko, Oleksii, Zusman, David R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 24.03.2009; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Bacteria; Bacterial Proteins - chemistry; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Biological Sciences; Cell adhesion; Cells; Chemoreception; Chemoreceptors; Chemotaxis; Correlation coefficients; Cytoplasm; Cytoplasm - metabolism; Fluorescence; Gliding; Green Fluorescent Proteins - metabolism; Membranes; Microscopy; Motility; Mutation; Myxococcus xanthus; Myxococcus xanthus - cytology; Myxococcus xanthus - metabolism; Protein Structure, Secondary; Protein Transport; Proteins; Receptors; Receptors, Cell Surface - metabolism; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - metabolism; Signal transduction; Statistical analysis
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0810583106

Directional motility in the gliding bacterium Myxococcus xanthus requires controlled cell reversals mediated by the Frz chemosensory system. FrzCD, a cytoplasmic chemoreceptor, does not form membrane-bound polar clusters typical for most bacteria, but rather cytoplasmic clusters that appear helically arranged and span the cell length. The distribution of FrzCD in living cells was found to be dynamic: FrzCD was localized in clusters that continuously changed their size, number, and position. The number of FrzCD clusters was correlated with cellular reversal frequency: fewer clusters were observed in hypo-reversing mutants and additional clusters were observed in hyper-reversing mutants. When moving cells made side-to-side contacts, FrzCD clusters in adjacent cells showed transient alignments. These events were frequently followed by one of the interacting cells reversing. These observations suggest that FrzCD detects signals from a cell contact-sensitive signaling system and then re-localizes as it directs reversals to distributed motility engines.