Social and developmental biology of the myxobacteria.

Shimkets, Lawrence J.

doi:10.1128/mmbr.54.4.473-501.1990

Cited by 211 publications

(121 citation statements)

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“…Such variation in the social phenotypes of clonal groups is likely to be important for competition outcomes both when physical and behavioural barriers hinder the migration of genotypes across social groups (Gibbs et al, 2008; and in heterogeneous social groups as well (Buttery et al, 2009). Myxococcus xanthus (order Myxococcales, whose species are collectively known as the myxobacteria) is a prominent model organism for the study of microbial social behaviour (Shimkets, 1990;Kaplan, 2003;Fiegna et al, 2006;Wu et al, 2007;Zusman et al, 2007;Berleman et al, 2008;. Myxococcus xanthus cells actively migrate through the soil in search of prey or other food sources using two genetically and mechanistically distinct motility systems, one of which involves cell-cell contact mediated by Type IV pili to function (Kaiser, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural variation in developmental life-history traits of the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus

Kraemer

Toups

Velicer

2010

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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The soil bacterium Myxococcus xanthus is a model for the study of cooperative microbial behaviours such as social motility and fruiting body formation. Several M. xanthus developmental traits that are frequently quantified for laboratory strains are likely to be significant components of fitness in natural populations, yet little is known about the degree such traits vary in the wild and may therefore be subject to natural selection. Here we have tested whether several key M. xanthus developmental life-history traits have diverged significantly among strains both from globally distant origins and from within a sympatric, cm-scale population. The isolates examined here were found to vary greatly, in a heritable manner, in their rate of developmental aggregation and in both their rate and efficiency of spore production. Isolates also varied in the nutrient concentration threshold triggering spore formation and in the heat resistance of spores. The extensive diversity in developmental phenotypes documented here opens questions regarding the relative roles of selection and genetic drift in shaping the diversity of local soil populations with respect to these developmental traits. It also raises the question whether fitness in the wild is largely determined by traits that are expressed independently of social context or by behaviors that are expressed only in genetically heterogeneous social groups.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural variation in developmental life-history traits of the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus

Kraemer

Toups

Velicer

2010

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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“…The environment of the fruiting body seems to drive the development of mature spores that are able to survive in extreme environments. During this period, the material released from lysed stalk cells is incorporated into the spore cell wall, which makes the spores fully resistant to harsh conditions (Shimkets, 1990;Kaiser, 1999). These findings reveal the existence of differentiation programmes that are specific to distinct cells and areas of the fruiting body, and which cannot be pursued by individual free-living cells.…”

Section: Multicellular Microorganisms Have An Advantage In Naturementioning

confidence: 96%

Multicellular microorganisms: laboratory versus nature

2004

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Our present in-depth knowledge of the physiology and regulatory mechanisms of microorganisms has arisen from our ability to remove them from their natural, complex ecosystems into pure liquid cultures. These cultures are grown under optimized laboratory conditions and allow us to study microorganisms as individuals. However, microorganisms naturally grow in conditions that are far from optimal, which causes them to become organized into multicellular communities that are better protected against the harmful environment. Moreover, this multicellular existence allows individual cells to differentiate and acquire specific properties, such as forming resistant spores, which benefit the whole population. The relocation of natural microorganisms to the laboratory can result in their adaptation to these favourable conditions, which is accompanied by complex changes that include the repression of some protective mechanisms that are essential in nature. Laboratory microorganisms that have been cultured for long periods under optimized conditions might therefore differ markedly from those that exist in natural ecosystems.

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“…Ecological studies have revealed many different forms of competition and collaboration between individual microbes of the same species, such as biofilm formation, 'wolf-pack' predation, cheating, social aggregation, and fruiting body morphogenesis (Shimkets, 1990;Crespi, 2001;Kjelleberg & Molin, 2002;Dunny et al, 2008). It is known that many microbes can synthesize a wide variety of bioactive secondary metabolites (Knight et al, 2003) and this ability has been suggested to play an important role in microbial survival (Gokhale et al, 2007;Demain & Adrio, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Myxobacteria are Gram-negative bacteria that exhibit complicated multicellular behavior (Shimkets, 1990), thus providing an important social bacterial model for the study of microbial competition and cooperation (Ben-Jacob et al, 1998;Velicer & Hillesland, 2008). In addition to their social behavior, myxobacteria are able to produce a range of secondary metabolites with various biological activities (Reichenbach, 2001;Weissman & M€ uller, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-cultivation ofSorangium cellulosumstrains affects cellular growth and biosynthesis of secondary metabolite epothilones

et al. 2013

FEMS Microbiol Ecol

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Sorangium cellulosum, a cellulolytic myxobacterium, is capable of producing a variety of bioactive secondary metabolites. Epothilones are anti-eukaryotic secondary metabolites produced by some S. cellulosum strains. In this study, we analyzed interactions between 12 strains of S. cellulosum consisting of epothilone-producers and non-epothilone producers isolated from two distinct soil habitats. Co-cultivation on filter papers showed that different Sorangium strains inhibited one another's growth, whereas epothilone production by the producing strains changed markedly for most (73%) pairwise mixtures. Using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we demonstrated that the expression of epothilone biosynthetic genes in the epothilone producers typically changed significantly when these bacteria were mixed with non-producing strains. The results indicated that intraspecies interactions between different S. cellulosum strains not only inhibited the growth of partners, but also could change epothilone production.

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Social and developmental biology of the myxobacteria.

Cited by 211 publications

References 211 publications

Natural variation in developmental life-history traits of the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus

Natural variation in developmental life-history traits of the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus

Multicellular microorganisms: laboratory versus nature

Co-cultivation ofSorangium cellulosumstrains affects cellular growth and biosynthesis of secondary metabolite epothilones

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