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Biomolecules
Special Issues
Recent Advances in Supramolecular Motility Machinery of Microorganisms
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Recent Advances in Supramolecular Motility Machinery of Microorganisms

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biophysics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 3099

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tohru Minamino

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Guest Editor
Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
Interests: bacterial flagella; bacterial motility; bacterial protein secretion; macromolecular assembly; energy transduction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yusuke V. Morimoto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan
Interests: cell motility; signal transduction; cellular slime mold; bacterial flagella; intracellular pH; fluorescence microscopy
Dr. Daisuke Nakane

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering Science, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: bacterial motility; gliding motility; type IV pili; optical microscopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganisms use their own motility machinery to move in a variety of environments, and their locomotion is regulated by complex sensory signal transduction pathways that allow microorganisms to migrate towards more favorable environments and away from less favorable environments for survival. The motility apparatus is a supramolecular protein complex containing motor proteins that convert electrochemical or chemical energy to mechanical works for locomotion. Furthermore, the motor proteins can autonomously adjust their mechanical functions in response to changes in the environment. As a result, the motor machines have adapted to function in environments of the habitat of microorganisms.

Because locomotion is one of the most fascinating aspects of live organisms, supramolecular motility machines continue to fascinate many researchers. To date, 18 different types of motility systems have been identified on our planet. This Special Issue on Biomolecules is dedicated to covering recent understanding and perspectives of supramolecular motility machinery derived from bacteria, archaea, and other microorganisms. Our aim is to compile articles describing recent advances in the structure, assembly, and function of various motor protein complexes including bacterial flagella, type IV pili, archaella, and adhesion-based gliding machinery.

Dr. Tohru Minamino
Dr. Yusuke V. Morimoto
Dr. Daisuke Nakane
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • motor proteins
  • motility
  • taxis
  • force generation
  • signal transduction

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4793 KiB  
Article
Regulatory Role of a Hydrophobic Core in the FliG C-Terminal Domain in the Rotary Direction of a Flagellar Motor
by Tatsuro Nishikino, Akihiro Hatano, Seiji Kojima and Michio Homma
Biomolecules 2025, 15(2), 212; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15020212 - 1 Feb 2025
Viewed by 308
Abstract
A flagellar motor can rotate either counterclockwise (CCW) or clockwise (CW), and rotational switching is triggered by conformational changes in FliG, although the molecular mechanism is still unknown. Here, we found that cheY deletion, which locks motor rotation in the CCW direction, restored [...] Read more.
A flagellar motor can rotate either counterclockwise (CCW) or clockwise (CW), and rotational switching is triggered by conformational changes in FliG, although the molecular mechanism is still unknown. Here, we found that cheY deletion, which locks motor rotation in the CCW direction, restored the motility abolished by the fliG L259Q mutation. We found that the CCW-biased fliG G214S mutation also restored the swimming of the L259Q mutant, but the CW-biased fliG G215A mutation did not. Since the L259 residue participates in forming the FliG hydrophobic core at its C-terminal domain, mutations were introduced into residues structurally closer to L259, and their motility was examined. Two mutants, D251R and L329Q, exhibited CW-biased rotation. Our results suggest that mutations in the hydrophobic core of FliGC collapse its conformational switching and/or stator interaction; however, the CCW state of the rotor enables rotation even with this disruption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Supramolecular Motility Machinery of Microorganisms)

Review

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17 pages, 3426 KiB  
Review
Decoding Bacterial Motility: From Swimming States to Patterns and Chemotactic Strategies
by Xiang-Yu Zhuang and Chien-Jung Lo
Biomolecules 2025, 15(2), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15020170 - 23 Jan 2025
Viewed by 438
Abstract
The bacterial flagellum serves as a crucial propulsion apparatus for motility and chemotaxis. Bacteria employ complex swimming patterns to perform essential biological tasks. These patterns involve transitions between distinct swimming states, driven by flagellar motor rotation, filament polymorphism, and variations in flagellar arrangement [...] Read more.
The bacterial flagellum serves as a crucial propulsion apparatus for motility and chemotaxis. Bacteria employ complex swimming patterns to perform essential biological tasks. These patterns involve transitions between distinct swimming states, driven by flagellar motor rotation, filament polymorphism, and variations in flagellar arrangement and configuration. Over the past two decades, advancements in fluorescence staining technology applied to bacterial flagella have led to the discovery of diverse bacterial movement states and intricate swimming patterns. This review provides a comprehensive overview of nano-filament observation methodologies, swimming states, swimming patterns, and the physical mechanisms underlying chemotaxis. These novel insights and ongoing research have the potential to inspire the design of innovative active devices tailored for operation in low-Reynolds-number environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Supramolecular Motility Machinery of Microorganisms)
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13 pages, 5268 KiB  
Review
Ion Signaling in Cell Motility and Development in Dictyostelium discoideum
by Yusuke V. Morimoto
Biomolecules 2024, 14(7), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14070830 - 10 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1539
Abstract
Cell-to-cell communication is fundamental to the organization and functionality of multicellular organisms. Intercellular signals orchestrate a variety of cellular responses, including gene expression and protein function changes, and contribute to the integrated functions of individual tissues. Dictyostelium discoideum is a model organism for [...] Read more.
Cell-to-cell communication is fundamental to the organization and functionality of multicellular organisms. Intercellular signals orchestrate a variety of cellular responses, including gene expression and protein function changes, and contribute to the integrated functions of individual tissues. Dictyostelium discoideum is a model organism for cell-to-cell interactions mediated by chemical signals and multicellular formation mechanisms. Upon starvation, D. discoideum cells exhibit coordinated cell aggregation via cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) gradients and chemotaxis, which facilitates the unicellular-to-multicellular transition. During this process, the calcium signaling synchronizes with the cAMP signaling. The resulting multicellular body exhibits organized collective migration and ultimately forms a fruiting body. Various signaling molecules, such as ion signals, regulate the spatiotemporal differentiation patterns within multicellular bodies. Understanding cell-to-cell and ion signaling in Dictyostelium provides insight into general multicellular formation and differentiation processes. Exploring cell-to-cell and ion signaling enhances our understanding of the fundamental biological processes related to cell communication, coordination, and differentiation, with wide-ranging implications for developmental biology, evolutionary biology, biomedical research, and synthetic biology. In this review, I discuss the role of ion signaling in cell motility and development in D. discoideum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Supramolecular Motility Machinery of Microorganisms)
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