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Chemotactic response of a gliding mycoplasma

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Abstract

Mycoplasma sp. nov. strain 163K, the gliding microorganism isolated from the gills of a tench (Tinca tinca L.), is capable of chemotaxis, being attracted to sugars, amino acids, and mucus. The chemotactic behavior of the organisms was microscopically investigated and documented by long-time exposure photomicrographs providing motility tracks. In diffusion-generated concentration gradients of chemoattractive substances, the random motion of the mycoplasmas was strongly biased in the direction of increasing attractant concentrations.

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Kirchhoff, H., Boldt, U., Rosengarten, R. et al. Chemotactic response of a gliding mycoplasma. Current Microbiology 15, 57–60 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01577215

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01577215

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