9418308 McBridge Gliding motility is a trait common to many unrelated bacteria, yet the mechanism(s) of gliding motility is(are) unknown. The majority of molecular studies on bacterial gliding motility have focussed on Myxococcus xanthus since this is the only gliding bacterium with a well developed genetic system. Cytophaga johnsonae is not closely related to M. xanthus and has several advantages over M. xanthus as a model for gliding motility. C. johnsonae grows 2-3 times faster and glides 5 to 50 times faster than M. xanthus. Until recently no genetic tools were available for C. johnsonae. Newly developed genetic tools are being used to analyze C. johnsonae gliding motility. Techniques for gene transfer and transposon mutagenesis will be optimized. Genes involved in the motility and tactic responses of C. johnsonae will be cloned in E. coli and sequenced. DNA sequences will be analyzed to determine the nature of the motility machinery and of the signal transduction system that controls this machinery in response to environmental stimuli. Putative genes will be mutated and reintroduced into C. johnsonae to determine the effect on motility or behavior. %%% In addition to expanding our knowledge of gliding motility, a common but little understood means of bacterial locomotion, these studies could have more practical value since cytophagas play important roles in biodegradation. ***
