A quantitative assay to study cell movement in the myxobacteria

A simple quantitative assay has been developed to test the rate of cell movement of myxobacteria. The assay employs an agar surface and at no time are the cells cultured in a liquid environment. Isolation of a rate-increasing substance(s) from fruiting Myxococcus xanthus is reported. The understanding of the aggregative process in these bacteria will be aided by characterization of the chemotactic system.