Biomaterial Database

Cell alignment required in differentiation of Myxococcus xanthus. 1990

S K Kim, and D Kaiser

Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA 94305.

During fruiting body morphogenesis of Myxococcus xanthus, cell movement is required for transmission of C-factor, a short range intercellular signaling protein necessary for sporulation and developmental gene expression. Nonmotile cells fail to sporulate and to express C-factor-dependent genes, but both defects were rescued by a simple manipulation of cell position that oriented the cells in aligned, parallel groups. A similar pattern of aligned cells normally results from coordinated recruitment of wildtype cells into multicellular aggregates, which later form mature fruiting bodies. It is proposed that directed cell movement establishes critical contacts between adjacent cells, which are required for efficient intercellular C-factor transmission.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D009024	Morphogenesis	The development of anatomical structures to create the form of a single- or multi-cell organism. Morphogenesis provides form changes of a part, parts, or the whole organism.
D009231	Myxococcales	An order of rod-shaped, gram-negative fruiting gliding bacteria found in SOIL; WATER; and HUMUS.	Myxobacterales,Myxobacteria,Polyangiaceae,Polyangium,Slime Bacteria
D002454	Cell Differentiation	Progressive restriction of the developmental potential and increasing specialization of function that leads to the formation of specialized cells, tissues, and organs.	Differentiation, Cell,Cell Differentiations,Differentiations, Cell
D002455	Cell Division	The fission of a CELL. It includes CYTOKINESIS, when the CYTOPLASM of a cell is divided, and CELL NUCLEUS DIVISION.	M Phase,Cell Division Phase,Cell Divisions,Division Phase, Cell,Division, Cell,Divisions, Cell,M Phases,Phase, Cell Division,Phase, M,Phases, M
D002465	Cell Movement	The movement of cells from one location to another. Distinguish from CYTOKINESIS which is the process of dividing the CYTOPLASM of a cell.	Cell Migration,Locomotion, Cell,Migration, Cell,Motility, Cell,Movement, Cell,Cell Locomotion,Cell Motility,Cell Movements,Movements, Cell
D001426	Bacterial Proteins	Proteins found in any species of bacterium.	Bacterial Gene Products,Bacterial Gene Proteins,Gene Products, Bacterial,Bacterial Gene Product,Bacterial Gene Protein,Bacterial Protein,Gene Product, Bacterial,Gene Protein, Bacterial,Gene Proteins, Bacterial,Protein, Bacterial,Proteins, Bacterial
D013171	Spores, Bacterial	Heat and stain resistant, metabolically inactive bodies formed within the vegetative cells of bacteria of the genera Bacillus and Clostridium.	Bacterial Spores,Bacterial Spore,Spore, Bacterial