The flagellar cytoskeleton of the spirochetes.

The recent discoveries of prokaryotic homologs of all three major eukaryotic cytoskeletal proteins (actin, tubulin, intermediate filaments) have spurred a resurgence of activity in the field of bacterial morphology. In spirochetes, however, it has long been known that the flagellar filaments act as a cytoskeletal protein structure, contributing to their shape and conferring motility on this unique phylum of bacteria. Therefore, revisiting the spirochete cytoskeleton may lead to new paradigms for exploring general features of prokaryotic morphology. This review discusses the role that the periplasmic flagella in spirochetes play in maintaining shape and producing motility. We focus on four species of spirochetes: Borrelia burgdorferi, Treponema denticola, Treponema phagedenis and Leptonema (formerly Leptospira) illini. In spirochetes, the flagella reside in the periplasmic space. Rotation of the flagella in the above species by a flagellar motor induces changes in the cell morphology that drives motility. Mutants that do not produce flagella have a markedly different shape than wild-type cells.

Structural analysis of the Leptospiraceae and Borrelia burgdorferi by high-voltage electron microscopy.

Spirochetes are an evolutionary and structurally unique group of bacteria. Outermost is a membrane sheath (OS), and within this sheath are the protoplasmic cell cylinder (PC) and periplasmic flagella (PFs). The PFs are attached at each end of the PC and, depending on the species, may or may not overlap in the center of the cell. The precise location of the PFs within the spirochetal cells is unknown. The PFs could lie along the cell axis. Alternatively, the PFs could wrap around the PC in either a right- or a left-handed sense. To understand the factors that cause the PFs to influence cell shape and allow the cells to swim, we determined the precise location of the PFs in the Leptospiraceae (Leptonema illini) and Borrelia burgdorferi. Our approach was to use high-voltage electron microscopy and analyze the three-dimensional images obtained from thick sections of embedded cells. We found that a single PF in L. illini is located in a central channel 29 nm in diameter running along the helix axis of the right-handed PC. The presence of the PFs is associated with the end being hook shaped. The results obtained agree with the current model of Leptospiraceae motility. In B. burgdorferi, which forms a flattened wave, the relationship between the PFs and the PC is more complicated. A multistrand ridge 67 nm in diameter, which was shown to be composed of PFs by cross-sectional and mutant analysis, was found to extend along the entire length of the cell. We found that the PFs wrapped around the PC in a right-handed sense. However, the PFs formed a left-handed helix in space. The wavelength of the cell body and the helix pitch of the PFs were found to be identical (2.83 microm). The results obtained were used to propose a model of B. burgdorferi motility whereby backward-propagating waves, which gyrate counterclockwise as viewed from the back of the cell, are generated by the counterclockwise rotation of the internal PFs. Concomitant with this motion, the cell is believed to rotate clockwise about the body axis as shown for the Leptospiraceae.

Isolation of a new serovar of the genus Leptonema in the family Leptospiraceae.

A leptospira-like spirochete was isolated from a lymphocyte culture from a HIV-I and HTLV-I/II-positive patient. On the basis of serological, biological and morphological characteristics of the cells of the isolated strain (strain Lisboa), we conclude that it is a member of the genus Leptonema.