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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Recording Multicellular Behavior in Myxococcus xanthus Biofilms using Time-lapse Microcinematography
Published on: August 6, 2010
Lipid chemotaxis and signal transduction in Myxococcus xanthus
1Dept of Microbiology, 527 Biological Sciences Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. shimkets@arches.uga.edu
Abstract:
The lipid phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) is the first chemoattractant to be described for a surface-motile bacterium. In Myxococcus xanthus, the specific activity of PE is determined by its fatty acid components. Two active species have been identified: dilauroyl PE and dioleoyl PE. Excitation to dilauroyl PE requires fibril appendages and the presence of two cytoplasmic chemotaxis systems, of which one (Dif) appears to mediate excitation and the other (Frz) appears to mediate adaptation. A possible mechanism for fibril-mediated signal transduction is discussed, along with the potential roles for PE chemotaxis in the context of the M. xanthus life cycle.
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