Gliding motility

Gliding motility is a type of translocation used by microorganisms that is independent of cell-surface appendages such as flagella, pili, and fimbriae. Gliding allows microorganisms to travel along the surface of thin aqueous films. The mechanisms of this motility are only partially known.

Bacterial gliding allows motility along a thinly aqueous surface. The other very different type of bacterial motility is called twitching motility that also allows movement along a thinly aqueous surface, but this type of movement is jerky and uses type IV pili as its means of transport.

The speed of gliding varies between organisms, and the reversal of direction is seemingly regulated by some sort of internal clock. For example the apicomplexans are able to travel at fast rates between 1–10 μm/s. In contrast Myxococcus xanthus bacteria glide at a rate of 0.08 μm/s.

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