Bacterial
gliding
Bacterial gliding is a process whereby a
bacterium
can move under its own power. This process does not involve the use of
flagella,
which is a more common means of motility in bacteria. For many bacteria, the mechanism
of gliding is unknown or only partially known, and it seems likely that in fact
different bacteria use distinct mechanisms to achieve what is currently referred
to as gliding. Gliding is prominent in
cyanobacteria,
myxobacteria and
the cytophaga-flavobacteria.
References
