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Abstract:
Bacteria are able to translocate over surfaces using different types of active and passive motility
mechanisms. Sliding is one of the passive types of
movement since it is powered by the pushing force of
dividing cells and additional factors facilitating the
expansion over surfaces. In this review, we describe
the sliding proficient bacteria that were previously
investigated in details highlighting the sliding
facilitating compounds and the regulation of sliding
motility. Besides surfactants that reduce the friction
between cells and substratum, other compounds
including exopolysaccharides, hydrophobic proteins,
or glycopeptidolipids where discovered to promote
sliding. Therefore, we present the sliding bacteria in
three groups depending on the additional compound
required for sliding. Despite recent accomplishments
in sliding research there are still many open
questions about the mechanisms underlying sliding
motility and its regulation in diverse bacterial species.
