Alignment enhances the cell-to-cell transfer of pilus phenotype

Social gliding motility of Myxococcus xanthus requires polar type IV pili. Tgl mutants lack pili and lack social motility. However, both defects can be rescued phenotypically, but not genotypically, when tgl(+) donor and tgl(−) recipient cells make physical contact with each other. What is the cellular and molecular basis of this transfer of phenotype, which is called stimulation? Stimulation does not occur in liquid nor in soft (0.5%) agar; however, on a more firm surface (1.0% agar) cells stimulate each other efficiently. Microscopy revealed that cells placed on 1.0% agar readily became aligned whereas they remained poorly aligned on 0.5% agar. It was observed, moreover, that stimulation is greatly reduced when donor and recipient cells lack the ability to move because of mutations in any of several different motility genes. Microscopy showed that motile cells became highly aligned, and can even align nonmotile cells. Using a stimulation assay based on the assembly of pili, a strong correlation was found between conditions that promote cell alignment and the speed or extent of stimulation. Because pili are assembled only at the end(s) of a cell, and a parallel alignment of cells in contact brings them end-to-end, we would suggest that end-to-end contacts are important for stimulation of pilus assembly.