Molecular Mechanisms of Signaling in Myxococcus xanthus Development

Bretl, Daniel J.; Kirby, John R.

doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2016.07.008

Cited by 47 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 276 publications

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“…These transcription factors typically bind to sites located about 100 base pairs upstream of promoters and activate transcription by σ 54 RNA polymerase [23]. All EBPs in the cascade have a domain expected to be phosphorylated by a protein kinase in response to a signal, but the signals and some of the kinases remain to be identified [24]. For example, it is known that nla4 and nla18 mutants fail to induce (p)ppGpp and early developmental genes normally [25, 26], but little is known about how starvation presumably causes formation of Nla4~P and Nla18~P, or how these EBPs impact (p)ppGpp accumulation (Figure 3).…”

Section: The Grn Before and During Myxococcus Aggregationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A null mutation in hsfA impairs aggregation more strongly than a null mutation in MXAN4899 [36], but this phenotype may also reflect a separate role for HsfA~P in the activation of lonD (also called bsgA ) early in development since LonD protease activity is necessary for aggregation [37]. A null mutation in lonD impairs expression of early developmental genes [38], but how LonD fits into the GRN is unknown [24]. …”

Section: The Grn Before and During Myxococcus Aggregationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each Myxococcus fruiting body is a population capable of surviving starvation and other insults, or being transported to a more favorable environment where spores will germinate and produce a colony for cooperative feeding. Understanding the ecology and evolution of Myxococcus and other myxobacteria in terms of their GRNs is an emerging area of research [24, 76, 85, 86] and a significant challenge (see Outstanding Questions). To meet this challenge, new systematic and quantitative experimental approaches will need to be coupled with computational methods to build molecular models of the GRNs that can rapidly predict their output under many different conditions, leading to novel testable hypotheses.…”

Section: Concluding Remarks and Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Highly Signal-Responsive Gene Regulatory Network Governing Myxococcus Development

Kroos

2017

Trends in Genetics

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The bacterium Myxococcus xanthus undergoes multicellular development when starved. Thousands of cells build mounds in which some differentiate into spores. This remarkable feat and the genetic tractability of Myxococcus provide a unique opportunity to understand evolution of gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Recent work has revealed a GRN involving interconnected cascades of signal-responsive transcriptional activators. Initially, starvation-induced intracellular signals direct changes in gene expression. Subsequently, self-generated extracellular signals provide morphological cues that regulate certain transcriptional activators. However, signals for many of the activators remain to be discovered. A key insight is that activators often work combinatorially, allowing signal integration. The Myxococcus GRN differs strikingly from those governing sporulation of Bacillus and Streptomyces, suggesting Myxococcus evolved a highly signal-responsive GRN to enable complex multicellular development.

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Section: The Grn Before and During Myxococcus Aggregationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Grn Before and During Myxococcus Aggregationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Concluding Remarks and Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Highly Signal-Responsive Gene Regulatory Network Governing Myxococcus Development

Kroos

2017

Trends in Genetics

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“…In particular, they can provide clues about generic aspects of cell-fate determination in the transition to multicellularity (Arias Del Angel et al, 2016; Duran-Nebreda, Montañez, Bonforti, & Solé, 2016;Furusawa & Kaneko, 2002;Mora Van Cauwelaert, Del Angel, Antonio, Benítez, & Azpeitia, 2015). However, much less is known about the dynamic properties underlying cell-fate determination in the development of cellular aggregates, such as the fruiting bodies of Dictyostelium discoideum (Marée & Hogeweg, 2001;Nanjundiah & Sathe, 2013) and myxobacteria (Bretl & Kirby, 2016;Kroos, 2017). However, much less is known about the dynamic properties underlying cell-fate determination in the development of cellular aggregates, such as the fruiting bodies of Dictyostelium discoideum (Marée & Hogeweg, 2001;Nanjundiah & Sathe, 2013) and myxobacteria (Bretl & Kirby, 2016;Kroos, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Implementation of dynamic models for the study of cellular differentiation has been mostly limited to eukaryotic model organisms developing through a zygotic or "staying-together" mechanism (Albert & Othmer, 2003;Benítez et al, 2008;Jaeger & Reinitz, 2012). However, much less is known about the dynamic properties underlying cell-fate determination in the development of cellular aggregates, such as the fruiting bodies of Dictyostelium discoideum (Marée & Hogeweg, 2001;Nanjundiah & Sathe, 2013) and myxobacteria (Bretl & Kirby, 2016;Kroos, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cell‐fate determination in Myxococcus xanthus development: Network dynamics and novel predictions

et al. 2018

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Myxococcus xanthus is a myxobacterium that exhibits aggregation and cellular differentiation during the formation of fruiting bodies. Therefore, it has become a valuable model system to study the transition to multicellularity via cell aggregation. Although there is a vast set of experimental information for the development on M. xanthus, the dynamics behind cell-fate determination in this organism's development remain unclear. We integrate the currently available evidence in a mathematical network model that allows to test the set of molecular elements and regulatory interactions that are sufficient to account for the specification of the cell types that are observed in fruiting body formation. Besides providing a dynamic mechanism for cell-fate determination in the transition to multicellular aggregates of M. xanthus, this model enables the postulation of specific mechanisms behind some experimental observations for which no explanations have been provided, as well as new regulatory interactions that can be experimentally tested. Finally, this model constitutes a formal basis on which the continuously emerging data for this system can be integrated and interpreted.

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An Evo‐Devo Perspective on Multicellular Development of Myxobacteria

et al. 2017

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The transition to multicellularity, recognized as one the major transitions in evolution, has occurred independently several times. While multicellular development has been extensively studied in zygotic organisms including plant and animal groups, just a few aggregative multicellular organisms have been employed as model organisms for the study of multicellularity. Studying different evolutionary origins and modes of multicellularity enables comparative analyses that can help identifying lineage-specific aspects of multicellular evolution and generic factors and mechanisms involved in the transition to multicellularity. Among aggregative multicellular organisms, myxobacteria are a valuable system to explore the particularities that aggregation confers to the evolution of multicellularity and mechanisms shared with clonal organisms. Moreover, myxobacteria species develop fruiting bodies displaying a range of morphological diversity. In this review, we aim to synthesize diverse lines of evidence regarding myxobacteria development and discuss them in the context of Evo-Devo concepts and approaches. First, we briefly describe the developmental processes in myxobacteria, present an updated comparative analysis of the genes involved in their developmental processes and discuss these and other lines of evidence in terms of co-option and developmental system drift, two concepts key to Evo-Devo studies. Next, as has been suggested from Evo-Devo approaches, we discuss how broad comparative studies and integration of diverse genetic, physicochemical, and environmental factors into experimental and theoretical models can further our understanding of myxobacterial development, phenotypic variation, and evolution.

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Molecular Mechanisms of Signaling in Myxococcus xanthus Development

Cited by 47 publications

References 276 publications

Highly Signal-Responsive Gene Regulatory Network Governing Myxococcus Development

Highly Signal-Responsive Gene Regulatory Network Governing Myxococcus Development

Cell‐fate determination in Myxococcus xanthus development: Network dynamics and novel predictions

An Evo‐Devo Perspective on Multicellular Development of Myxobacteria

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