Genetics of Motility and Chemotaxis of a Fascinating Group of Bacteria: The Spirochetes

Charon, Nyles W.; Goldstein, Stuart F.

doi:10.1146/annurev.genet.36.041602.134359

Cited by 273 publications

(389 citation statements)

References 118 publications

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“…At this time, it is not known how the level of FlaB is regulated by borrelial CsrA, which could be either in conjunction with other mechanisms or through independent regulation of its levels (23,57). It appears that the levels of CsrA are variable in different isolates, and it is interesting to speculate that the levels of the 41-kDa protein corresponding to FlaB as observed on the Coomassie blue-stained gel (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overexpression of CsrA (BB0184) Alters the Morphology and Antigen Profiles ofBorrelia burgdorferi

et al. 2009

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overexpression of CsrA (BB0184) Alters the Morphology and Antigen Profiles ofBorrelia burgdorferi

et al. 2009

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“…Moreover, true endosymbiosis would predict that cilia would be surrounded by two membranes (one from the spirochaete and one from the host cell), which clearly is not the case. Although this hypothesis is often cited, other workers claim that the original argument for molecular similarity to cilia may not be correct [Charon and Goldstein, 2002]. Further, spirochaetes have no centrioles and this hypothesis does not address the origin of this organelle, the sine qua non of ciliary development.…”

Section: Theories Of Ciliary Originmentioning

confidence: 96%

Evolution and persistence of the cilium

Satir

Guerra

Bell

2007

Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton

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The origin of cilia, a fundamental eukaryotic organelle, not present in prokaryotes, poses many problems, including the origins of motility and sensory function, the origins of nine-fold symmetry, of basal bodies, and of transport and selective mechanisms involved in ciliogenesis. We propose the basis of ciliary origin to be a self-assembly RNA enveloped virus that contains unique tubulin and tektin precursors. The virus becomes the centriole and basal body, which would account for the self-assembly and self-replicative properties of these organelles, in contrast to previous proposals of spirochaete origin or endogenous differentiation, which do not readily account for the centriole or its properties. The viral envelope evolves into a sensory bud. The host cell supplies the transport machinery and molecular motors to construct the axoneme. Polymerization of cytoplasmic microtubules in the 9 1 0 axoneme completes the 9 1 2 pattern. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 64: 906-913, 2007. ' 2007

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“…qRT-PCR confirmed that there is upregulation of some of these genes (M. Caimano and J. Radolf, personal communication). We previously hypothesized that motility and chemotaxis gene expression is constitutive in B. burgdorferi (12,22). We based this hypothesis on the lack of 28 -dependent cascade control, the evidence that flaB is transcribed in both the tick and the mammalian host, and the finding that spirochetes in the tissues of these hosts contain PFs (15,23).…”

Section: Vol 190 2008 B Burgdorferi Flagellar Synthesis 1919mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Not only are the PFs essential for motility, but these structures are also critical in providing the characteristic flat-wave morphology of the intact spirochete (46, 59). Rotation of the PF bundles in opposite directions, as viewed along a PF from its distal end to where it inserts into the cell cylinder, generates backward-moving waves along the cell body that propel the cell forward (12,24,25,38).…”

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Borrelia burgdorferi Uniquely Regulates Its Motility Genes and Has an Intricate Flagellar Hook-Basal Body Structure

et al. 2008

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Borrelia burgdorferi is a flat-wave, motile spirochete that causes Lyme disease. Motility is provided by periplasmic flagella (PFs) located between the cell cylinder and an outer membrane sheath. The structure of these PFs, which are composed of a basal body, a hook, and a filament, is similar to the structure of flagella of other bacteria. To determine if hook formation influences flagellin gene transcription in B. burgdorferi, we inactivated the hook structural gene flgE by targeted mutagenesis. In many bacteria, completion of the hook structure serves as a checkpoint for transcriptional control of flagellum synthesis and other chemotaxis and motility genes. Specifically, the hook allows secretion of the anti-sigma factor FlgM and concomitant late gene transcription promoted by 28 . However, the control of B. burgdorferi PF synthesis differs from the control of flagellum synthesis in other bacteria; the gene encoding 28 is not present in the genome of B. burgdorferi, nor are any 28 promoter recognition sequences associated with the motility genes. We found that B. burgdorferi flgE mutants lacked PFs, were rod shaped, and were nonmotile, which substantiates previous evidence that PFs are involved in both cell morphology and motility. Although most motility and chemotaxis gene products accumulated at wild-type levels in the absence of FlgE, mutant cells had markedly decreased levels of the flagellar filament proteins FlaA and FlaB. Further analyses showed that the reduction in the levels of flagellin proteins in the spirochetes lacking FlgE was mediated at the posttranscriptional level. Taken together, our results indicate that in B. burgdorferi, the completion of the hook does not serve as a checkpoint for transcriptional regulation of flagellum synthesis. In addition, we also present evidence that the hook protein in B. burgdorferi forms a high-molecular-weight complex and that formation of this complex occurs in the periplasmic space.Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, is a spirochete with a characteristic flat-wave morphology (24, 25; for a review, see reference 12). As a result of their unusual morphology, B. burgdorferi and other spirochete species have a highly specialized ability that allows them to traverse viscous gellike media (8). This unique swimming ability enables these bacteria to penetrate into specific host connective tissues and ecological niches (43). The importance of motility as a virulence factor has been implicated in several spirochete species, including Treponema denticola (42), Brachyspira hyodysenteriae (54), Borrelia garinii (60), and B. burgdorferi (10, 56).Motility in B. burgdorferi is provided by bundles of between 7 and 11 periplasmic flagella (PFs) that are subterminally attached near the cell ends. These PFs extend inward along the cell cylinder beneath an outer membrane sheath (6,24,28,46). B. burgdorferi PFs have a structure similar to that of flagella of other bacteria; a PF is composed of a basal body, a hook, and a filament containing a single major ...

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Genetics of Motility and Chemotaxis of a Fascinating Group of Bacteria: The Spirochetes

Cited by 273 publications

References 118 publications

Overexpression of CsrA (BB0184) Alters the Morphology and Antigen Profiles ofBorrelia burgdorferi

Overexpression of CsrA (BB0184) Alters the Morphology and Antigen Profiles ofBorrelia burgdorferi

Evolution and persistence of the cilium

Borrelia burgdorferi Uniquely Regulates Its Motility Genes and Has an Intricate Flagellar Hook-Basal Body Structure

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