Article
Microbiology
Kalpana Subedi, Daniel Wall
Summary: Myxobacteria exhibit complex social behaviors that rely on coordinated cell movements on solid surfaces, known as social (S)-motility. This study characterized a new S-motility gene in Myxococcus xanthus and found that it interacts with a previously identified S-motility gene at high temperatures, contributing to the function of type IV pili. However, at low temperatures, this interaction is not necessary.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Matthew E. Black, Joshua W. Shaevitz
Summary: The bacterium Myxococcus xanthus forms fruiting bodies when starved, which are initially formed by the dewetting of a vegetative biofilm. The mechanics of these droplets were studied using atomic force microscopy, and a simple model of their linear viscoelasticity was developed. The cellular behaviors during different developmental stages resulted in decreased droplet viscosity and increased elasticity.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sarah Bautista, Victoria Schmidt, Annick Guiseppi, Emillia M. F. Mauriello, Bouchra Attia, Latifa Elantak, Tam Mignot, Romain Mercier
Summary: This study reveals the protein interaction network involved in the activation of Tfp at the cell pole in bacteria and highlights the significance of this tripartite system in complex collective behaviors.
Article
Microbiology
Keane J. Dye, Zhaomin Yang
Summary: The bacterium Myxococcus xanthus can form both developmental and vegetative types of biofilms. This study developed a microplate-based assay to investigate the submerged biofilms of M. xanthus under vegetative conditions. The results showed that aeration and temperature play important roles in the development of submerged biofilms, and the formation of these biofilms is positively correlated with the levels of exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by the bacteria.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Huan Zhang, Srutha Venkatesan, Emily Ng, Beiyan Nan
Summary: This study found that the inhibited PG synthases can affect bacterial morphology by accelerating the degradation of cell poles through hydrolytic PG peptidase. Disrupting the coordination between PG synthases and hydrolases could be more lethal than eliminating individual enzymes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Lea Winand, Pascal Schneider, Sebastian Kruth, Nico-Joel Greven, Wolf Hiller, Marcel Kaiser, Joerg Pietruszka, Markus Nett
Summary: By combining chemical synthesis with pathway refactoring, a series of physostigmine analogues with altered specificity and toxicity profiles were produced in the heterologous host. Among the compounds generated, the promising drug candidate phenserine was included, which was previously only accessible through total synthesis. This study provides a new approach for the development of novel therapeutics.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Marco Herfurth, Franziska Mueller, Lotte Sogaard-Andersen, Timo Glatter
Summary: This protocol provides detailed instructions on how to identify stable and transient protein interactomes in bacteria using biotin ligase miniTurbo-based proximity labeling, including steps for control protein expression optimization, biotin labeling of bacteria, enrichment of biotinylated proteins, and sample processing for proteomic analysis.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Celine Dinet, Tam Mignot
Summary: Motile cells use a molecular mechanism involving small GTPases, regulators, and sensors to change their movement direction in response to environmental cues. Myxococcus xanthus is a model organism used to study the control of directed cell motility, where a unique small Ras GTPase system regulates the reversal frequency of cell movement. The interconnected protein networks involved in this process link the environmental signals to the downstream polarity control system.
Review
Biology
Celine Dinet, Alphee Michelot, Julien Herrou, Tam Mignot
Summary: Social bacteria exhibit complex behaviors and sensory capacity at the single-cell level, leading to multicellular behaviors. This cooperative behavior provides insight into the origin of cognitive mechanisms in biological systems.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Linnea J. Ritchie, Erin R. Curtis, Kimberly A. Murphy, Roy D. Welch
Summary: Myxococcus xanthus is a bacterium that forms predatory biofilm swarms on surfaces, displaying dynamic multicellular patterns controlled by coordinated cell movement. The two motility systems, adventurous (A) and social (S), play roles in swarm expansion and pattern formation. Genetic and environmental perturbations have been identified to influence phenotype variations within the M. xanthus swarming phenome.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Marco Herfurth, Maria Perez-Burgos, Lotte Sogaard-Andersen
Summary: Type IVa pili (T4aP) are essential for bacterial motility, adhesion, biofilm formation, and virulence. The assembly of T4aP in Myxococcus xanthus involves the polar recruitment of PilQ secretin and the stimulation of multimerization by the pilotin Tgl. The presence or absence of AMIN domains in T4aP secretins contributes to the different localization patterns of T4aP across bacteria.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Katherine Copenhagen, Ricard Alert, Ned S. Wingreen, Joshua W. Shaevitz
Summary: The study demonstrates that topological defects play a crucial role in promoting cell layer formation in the soil bacterium Myxococcus xanthus, aiding in the development of fruiting bodies.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yi-Ywan M. Chen, Hsing-Yi Wang, Chia-Hua Wu, Yu-Juan Lin, Cheng-Hsun Chiu
Summary: Although gene clusters encoding Tfp are commonly found in Streptococcus sanguinis, not all strains exhibit surface-dependent twitching motility. Tfp can serve as a ligand for host cell colonization, and Tfp retraction is essential for biofilm stability. The twitching phenotype is strain-specific and sensitive to growth media.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
George Courcoubetis, Manasi S. Gangan, Sean Lim, Xiaokan Guo, Stephan Haas, James Q. Boedicker
Summary: This study examines the formation and dynamics of bacterial aggregates in soft agar and their collective movement. The movement of the aggregates is driven by the change in motility of individual cells and the regulation of cell density. The results show that bacteria swim towards regions with high concentrations of attractant molecules and stop swimming in crowded areas, leading to the migration and merging of the aggregates. This work identifies a new mechanism for collective bacterial motility and control.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Y. Hoang, Joshua L. Franklin, Yann S. Dufour, Lee Kroos
Summary: Research has found that there are transitional cells in nascent fruiting bodies, accounting for 10-15% of the total population. Spores appear between the center and edge in early development and move closer to the center as maturation progresses. The arrangement of cells and neighboring rods, as well as the tangential orientation of rods, affect the developmental pattern and C-signal-dependent gene expression.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Huan Zhang, Garrett A. Mulholland, Sofiene Seef, Shiwei Zhu, Jun Liu, Tam Mignot, Beiyan Nan
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Salim T. Islam, Israel Vergara Alvarez, Fares Saidi, Annick Giuseppi, Evgeny Vinogradov, Gaurav Sharma, Leon Espinosa, Castrese Morrone, Gael Brasseur, Jean-Francois Guillemot, Anais Benarouche, Jean-Luc Bridot, Gokulakrishnan Ravicoularamin, Alain Cagna, Charles Gauthier, Mitchell Singer, Henri-Pierre Fierobe, Tam Mignot, Emilia M. F. Mauriello
Review
Biology
Celine Dinet, Alphee Michelot, Julien Herrou, Tam Mignot
Summary: Social bacteria exhibit complex behaviors and sensory capacity at the single-cell level, leading to multicellular behaviors. This cooperative behavior provides insight into the origin of cognitive mechanisms in biological systems.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Swapnesh Panigrahi, Dorothee Murat, Antoine Le Gall, Eugenie Martineau, Kelly Goldlust, Jean-Bernard Fiche, Sara Rombouts, Marcelo Nollmann, Leon Espinosa, Tam Mignot
Summary: MiSiC is a deep-learning based 2D segmentation method that can automatically segment single bacteria in complex images of interacting bacterial communities with very little parameter adjustment, independent of microscopy settings and imaging modality. It enables the analysis of interspecies interactions and subcellular processes in millimeter size datasets. MiSiC's simple implementation and low computing power requirement make it accessible to fields interested in bacterial interactions and cell biology.
Article
Biology
Sofiene Seef, Julien Herrou, Paul de Boissier, Laetitia My, Gael Brasseur, Donovan Robert, Rikesh Jain, Romain Mercier, Eric Cascales, Bianca H. Habermann, Tam Mignot
Summary: Myxococcus xanthus, a soil bacterium, preys collectively on prey colonies using A-motility and contact-dependent killing as central predatory mechanisms. The newly discovered Kil-like systems form a new class of Tad-like machineries in predatory bacteria, with a conserved function in predator-prey interactions. This study also reveals a novel cell-cell interaction function for bacterial pili-like assemblages.
Article
Microbiology
Rikesh Jain, Bianca H. Habermann, Tam Mignot
Summary: Myxococcus xanthus, a Gram-negative social bacterium, is considered crucial for the microbial ecosystem. This study presents a complete high-quality reference genome of the M. xanthus strain DZ2, providing valuable insights into its genetic makeup.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Shuanghong Xue, Romain Mercier, Annick Guiseppi, Artemis Kosta, Rossella De Cegli, Severine Gagnot, Tam Mignot, Emilia M. F. Mauriello
Summary: This study reveals that the motile bacterium M. xanthus cells can move in the absence of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) by down-regulating the pilY1.1 gene and accumulating the PilY1.3 protein on pili. The differential accumulation of PilY1 proteins is regulated by the HsfBA phosphorelay. The findings suggest that the differential transcriptional regulation of PilY1 homologs by HsfBA allows T4P to adapt to different substrates and environmental conditions for twitching motility.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sarah Bautista, Victoria Schmidt, Annick Guiseppi, Emillia M. F. Mauriello, Bouchra Attia, Latifa Elantak, Tam Mignot, Romain Mercier
Summary: This study reveals the protein interaction network involved in the activation of Tfp at the cell pole in bacteria and highlights the significance of this tripartite system in complex collective behaviors.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Celine Dinet, Tam Mignot
Summary: Motile cells use a molecular mechanism involving small GTPases, regulators, and sensors to change their movement direction in response to environmental cues. Myxococcus xanthus is a model organism used to study the control of directed cell motility, where a unique small Ras GTPase system regulates the reversal frequency of cell movement. The interconnected protein networks involved in this process link the environmental signals to the downstream polarity control system.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Salim T. Islam, Nicolas Y. Jolivet, Clemence Cuzin, Akeisha M. Belgrave, Laetitia My, Betty Fleuchot, Laura M. Faure, Utkarsha Mahanta, Ahmad A. Kezzo, Fares Saidi, Gaurav Sharma, Jean -Bernard Fiche, Benjamin P. Bratton, Julien Herrou, Marcelo Nollmann, Joshua W. Shaevitz, Eric Durand, Tam Mignot
Summary: The predatory deltaproteobacterium Myxococcus xanthus utilizes a helically-trafficked motor at bacterial focal-adhesion (bFA) sites for gliding motility. The von Willebrand A domain-containing outer-membrane (OM) lipoprotein CglB is identified as an essential adhesin of the gliding transducer (Glt) machinery at bFAs. The Glt OM platform mediates cell-surface accessibility and retention of CglB, promoting regulated surface exposure of CglB at bFAs and transduction of contractile forces to the substratum.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cyrielle Garreau, Leonardo Chiappisi, Samantha Micciulla, Nils Blanc, Isabelle Morfin, Amandine Desorme, Tam Mignot, Stephane Trombotto, Thierry Delair, Guillaume Sudre
Summary: Surface treatment with adhesive polymers is a promising solution for immobilizing and studying bacteria cells. This work demonstrates that a chitosan film with a degree of acetylation (DA) of 35% is suitable for studying bacterial growth and antibiotic testing, with the ability to be reused without affecting the grafted film.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)