Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2025
07:26
Vertical Immobilization Method for Time-Lapse Microscopy Analysis in Filamentous Cyanobacteria
Published on: September 25, 2023
910
Motility in Filamentous Cyanobacteria.
1Department of Biology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA;
Annual Review of Microbiology
|June 10, 2025
Summary
Filamentous cyanobacteria use a shared slime layer and type IV pilus (T4P) motor for surface motility. This mechanism is crucial for their movement, enabling functions like phototaxis and dispersal.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Filamentous cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms known for surface motility.
- Previous explanations for motility lacked a unified molecular understanding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the molecular mechanisms of motility in filamentous cyanobacteria.
- To highlight recent genetic and molecular findings on cyanobacterial surface movement.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent molecular and genetic studies.
- Analysis of extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) production.
- Investigation of type IV pilus (T4P) motor function.
Main Results:
- All filamentous cyanobacteria produce a motility-associated extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) essential for movement.
- Type IV pilus (T4P) motors are employed to power motility.
- Regulation of the T4P motor influences polarity and phototaxis.
Conclusions:
- Motility in filamentous cyanobacteria is consistently driven by EPS and T4P motors.
- T4P regulation and its feedback with EPS are key to coordinated movement.
- Motility plays a vital role in dispersal, phototaxis, biofilm formation, and symbiosis.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Microtubules in Cell Motility
3.2K
Microtubules are thick hollow cylindrical proteins that help form the cytoskeleton. Microtubules have varied roles in the cell. These filaments help form cellular appendages like cilia and flagella, which are responsible for locomotion. The cilia arise from basal bodies, separated from the main body by a membrane-like structure forming the transition zone. This zone is the gate for the entry of lipids and proteins, creating a unique composition of lipids and proteins in the ciliary membrane and...
3.2K
01:29Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria
3.3K
Bacterial cells were initially considered simple, randomly organized structures lacking a cytoskeleton. However, the discovery of cytoskeleton homologs in bacteria led to the change of this opinion. Bacterial cytoskeletal filaments regulate the cell shape, cell polarity, cell division, and partitioning of plasmids during cell division. It was later discovered that bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, mainly actin and tubulin homologs, are diverse compared to their eukaryotic counterparts. On the...
3.3K
01:32Microtubule Associated Motor Proteins
7.7K
Eukaryotic cells have different motor proteins for transporting various cargo within the cell. These motor proteins differ based on the filament they associate with, the direction they move within the cell, and the type of cargo they transport. Motor proteins that associate with microtubules are known as microtubule-associated motor proteins. There are two families of microtubule-associated motor proteins —Kinesins and Dyneins. Both these proteins assist in the transport of cellular...
7.7K
01:18Polarity of the Cytoskeleton
16.4K
The intrinsic polarity of cells can be primarily attributed to two factors- i) the asymmetric accumulation of mobile components such are regulatory molecules and subcellular components across the cell and ii) the orientation of polar cytoskeletal filaments that make up the cytoskeletal networks, specifically microfilaments, and microtubules arranged along the axis of polarity. Interactions between the cytoskeletal filaments are crucial for the establishment and maintenance of the polar nature...
16.4K
01:05Mechanism of Ciliary Motion
3.6K
The ciliary structures were first seen in 1647 by Antonie Leeuwenhoek while observing the protozoans. In lower organisms, these appendages are responsible for cell movement, while in higher organisms, these appendages help in the movement of the extracellular fluids within the body cavities.
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...
3.6K
01:12Adaptability of Cytoskeletal Filaments
3.7K
The cytoskeleton is a complex dynamic structure performing varied functions based on cellular requirements. The adaptability of the individual filaments in the cytoskeleton determines their ability to perform various functions within the cell. It can undergo rapid reorganization during processes like cell division or remain stable for several hours as in the interphase. The adaptability of these filaments depends on stringent regulatory mechanisms. The microfilament and microtubules of the...
3.7K