Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 105, Issue 44, Pages 17127-17132Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0804387105
Keywords
chemotaxis; morphogenesis; predation; rippling; chemosensory
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Funding
- National Institutes of Health [T32 AI007511, AI59682]
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Spatial organization of cells is important for both multicellular development and tactic responses to a changing environment. We find that the social bacterium, Myxococcus xanthus utilizes a chemotaxis (Che)-like pathway to regulate multicellular rippling during predation of other microbial species. Tracking of GFP-labeled cells indicates directed movement of M. xanthus cells during the formation of rippling wave structures. Quantitative analysis of rippling indicates that ripple wavelength is adaptable and dependent on prey cell availability. Methylation of the receptor, FrzCD is required for this adaptation: a frzF methyltransferase mutant is unable to construct ripples, whereas a frzG methylesterase mutant forms numerous, tightly packed ripples. Both the frzF and frzG mutant strains are defective in directing cell movement through prey colonies. These data indicate that the transition to an organized multicellular state during predation in M. xanthus relies on the tactic behavior of individual cells, mediated by a Che-like signal transduction pathway.
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