This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Other Versions of this Article: JB.01405-06v1 189/3/1083    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kanbe, M. Articles by Aizawa, S.-I. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kanbe, M. Articles by Aizawa, S.-I.

Characterization of Two Sets of Subpolar Flagella in Bradyrhizobium japonicum

Masaomi Kanbe,^1,2 Jin Yagasaki,^2, Susanne Zehner,³ Michael Göttfert,³ and Shin-Ichi Aizawa^1,2*

Department of Life Sciences, Prefectural University of Hiroshima, 562 Nanatsuka, Shobara, Hiroshima 727-0023, Japan,¹ CREST Soft Nano-Machine Project, Innovation Plaza Hiroshima, 3-10-23 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-0046, Japan,² Institut für Genetik, TU Dresden, Helmholtzstr. 10, D-01069 Dresden, Germany³

Received 3 September 2006/ Accepted 30 October 2006

Bradyrhizobium japonicum is one of the soil bacteria that form nodules on soybean roots. The cell has two sets of flagellar systems, one thick flagellum and a few thin flagella, uniquely growing at subpolar positions. The thick flagellum appears to be semicoiled in morphology, and the thin flagella were in a tight-curly form as observed by dark-field microscopy. Flagellin genes were identified from the amino acid sequence of each flagellin. Flagellar genes for the thick flagellum are scattered into several clusters on the genome, while those genes for the thin flagellum are compactly organized in one cluster. Both types of flagella are powered by proton-driven motors. The swimming propulsion is supplied mainly by the thick flagellum. B. japonicum flagellar systems resemble the polar-lateral flagellar systems of Vibrio species but differ in several aspects.

Published ahead of print on 10 November 2006.

Present address: Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Wei, M., Yokoyama, T., Minamisawa, K., Mitsui, H., Itakura, M., Kaneko, T., Tabata, S., Saeki, K., Omori, H., Tajima, S., Uchiumi, T., Abe, M., Ohwada, T. (2008). Soybean Seed Extracts Preferentially Express Genomic Loci of Bradyrhizobium japonicum in the Initial Interaction with Soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. DNA Res 0: dsn012v2-14 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Paul, C. J., Twine, S. M., Tam, K. J., Mullen, J. A., Kelly, J. F., Austin, J. W., Logan, S. M. (2007). Flagellin Diversity in Clostridium botulinum Groups I and II: a New Strategy for Strain Identification. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 2963-2975 [Abstract] [Full Text]