Spirochetal motility and chemotaxis in the natural enzootic cycle and development of Lyme disease

MD A. Motaleb, Jun Liu, R Mark Wooten
2015 Current Opinion in Microbiology  
Two-thirds of all bacterial genomes sequenced to-date possess an organelle for locomotion, referred to as flagella, periplasmic flagella or type IV pili. These genomes may also contain a chemotaxis-signaling system which governs flagellar rotation, thus leading a coordinated function for motility. Motility and chemotaxis are often crucial for infection or disease process caused by pathogenic bacteria. Although motility-associated genes are well-characterized in some organisms, the
more » ... rated synthesis, regulation, and assembly of periplasmic flagella in spirochetes are just being delineated. Recent advances were fostered by development of unique genetic manipulations in spirochetes coupled with cutting-edge imaging techniques. These contemporary advances in understanding the role of spirochetal motility and chemotaxis in host persistence and disease development are highlighted in this review.
doi:10.1016/j.mib.2015.09.006 pmid:26519910 pmcid:PMC4688064 fatcat:djipgr2kxngznfg6jjfcg5wb6q