The type IV pilus assembly ATPase PilB functions as a signaling protein to regulate exopolysaccharide production in Myxococcus xanthus

Myxococcus xanthus possesses a form of surface motility powered by the retraction of the type IV pilus (T4P). Additionally, exopolysaccharide (EPS), the major constituent of bacterial biofilms, is required for this T4P-mediated motility in M. xanthus as the putative trigger of T4P retraction. The results here demonstrate that the T4P assembly ATPase PilB functions as an intermediary in the EPS regulatory pathway composed of the T4P upstream of...