Effects of Glycosylation on Swimming Ability and Flagellar Polymorphic Transformation in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605.

The role of flagellin glycosylation on motility was investigated in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci. The swimming activity of glycosylation-defective mutants was prominently decreased in a highly viscous medium. The mutants showed differences in polymorphic transitions and in the bundle formation of flagella, indicating that glycosylation stabilizes the filament structure and lubricates the rotation of the bundle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]