Motility in Myxococcus xanthus and its role in developmental aggregation

The Frz signal transduction system of Myxococcus xanthus was originally tho ught to be a simple variation of the well-characterized Che system of the e nteric bacteria. Recently, however, many additional Frz proteins, along wit h alternative signal transduction systems, have been discovered. Together t hese signal transduction pathways coordinate cell-cell behavior, permitting the complex interactions required for developmental aggregation and fruiti ng body formation.