Draft Genome Sequence of Myxococcus xanthus Wild-Type Strain DZ2, a Model Organism for Predation and Development

Müller, Susanne; Willett, Jonathan W.; Bahr, Sarah M.; Darnell, Cynthia L.; Hummels, Katherine R.; Dong, Carolyn K.; Vlamakis, Hera; Kirby, John R.

doi:10.1128/genomea.00217-13

Cited by 36 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…5). The third strain, DZ2, shares a common ancestor with DK1622 but was stored independently by the Zusman lab (20,21). When any of these ancestral strains was mixed with a DK1622-derived strain, the former strains readily outcompeted the latter strain (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the origin of currently used M. xanthus laboratory strains is murky, Wu and colleagues (45) indicated that the Beebe strain was transferred to UC Berkeley, where it was maintained in Roger Stanier's strain collection. Both FB and DZ2 were obtained from the Berkeley collection (20,21,46). The claim by Wu et al is supported by the fact that ATCC strains 19368 and 25232 are cross-listed in the ATCC database.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sibling Rivalry in Myxococcus xanthus Is Mediated by Kin Recognition and a Polyploid Prophage

et al. 2016

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Myxobacteria form complex social communities that elicit multicellular behaviors. One such behavior is kin recognition, in which cells identify siblings via their polymorphic TraA cell surface receptor, to transiently fuse outer membranes and exchange their contents. In addition, outer membrane exchange (OME) regulates behaviors, such as inhibition of wild-type Myxococcus xanthus (DK1622) from swarming. Here we monitored the fate of motile cells and surprisingly found they were killed by nonmotile siblings. The kill phenotype required OME (i.e., was TraA dependent). The genetic basis of killing was traced to ancestral strains used to construct DK1622. Specifically, the kill phenotype mapped to a large "polyploid prophage," Mx alpha. Sensitive strains contained a 200-kb deletion that removed two of three Mx alpha units. To explain these results, we suggest that Mx alpha expresses a toxin-antitoxin cassette that uses the OME machinery of M. xanthus to transfer a toxin that makes the population "addicted" to Mx alpha. Thus, siblings that lost Mx alpha units (no immunity) are killed by cells that harbor the element. To test this, an Mx alpha-harboring laboratory strain was engineered (by traA allele swap) to recognize a closely related species, Myxococcus fulvus. As a result, M. fulvus, which lacks Mx alpha, was killed. These TraA-mediated antagonisms provide an explanation for how kin recognition specificity might have evolved in myxobacteria. That is, recognition specificity is determined by polymorphisms in traA, which we hypothesize were selected for because OME with non-kin leads to lethal outcomes. IMPORTANCEThe transition from single cell to multicellular life is considered a major evolutionary event. Myxobacteria have successfully made this transition. For example, in response to starvation, individual cells aggregate into multicellular fruiting bodies wherein cells differentiate into spores. To build fruits, cells need to recognize their siblings, and in part, this is mediated by the TraA cell surface receptor. Surprisingly, we report that TraA recognition can also involve sibling killing. We show that killing originates from a prophage-like element that has apparently hijacked the TraA system to deliver a toxin to kin. We hypothesize that this killing system has imposed selective pressures on kin recognition, which in turn has resulted in TraA polymorphisms and hence many different recognition groups.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sibling Rivalry in Myxococcus xanthus Is Mediated by Kin Recognition and a Polyploid Prophage

et al. 2016

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“…M. xanthus DK 1622, apart from Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans 2CP-C, was the first to have its genome sequenced. Further, different myxobacterial genomes have been completely sequenced: Sorangium cellulosum So ce56 and Stigmatella aurantiaca DW 4/3-1, Haliangium ochraceum, Myxococcus fulvus, Corallococcus coralloides, Myxococcus stipitatus, Cystobacter violaceus (Li et al 2011;Huntley et al 2012Huntley et al , 2013Muller et al 2013;Stevens et al 2014). Most myxobacteria are composed of a single circular chromosome, and no extra-chromosomal plasmids were known until 1980, when the first endogenous plasmid was identified in Myxococcus fulvus.…”

Section: Genomementioning

confidence: 99%

Current trends in myxobacteria research

et al. 2015

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Myxobacteria are fascinating Gram-negative bacteria whose life cycle includes the formation of multicellular fruiting bodies that contain about 100,000 cells differentiated as asexual spores for their long-term survival. They move by gliding on surfaces, an activity that helps them carry out their primitive kind of multicellular development. Myxobacteria have multiple traits that are clearly social in nature; they move and feed socially. These processes require specific intercellular signals, thereby exhibiting a sophisticated level of the interorganismal communication. Myxobacteria are predators. Predation is social not only with respect to searching for prey (motility) but also in the killing of prey. Swarming groups of cells secrete antibiotics and bacteriolytic compounds that kill and lyse their prey, and food is thereby released. Since the last three decades, myxobacteria are known as valuable producers of secondary metabolites exhibiting various biological activities. Myxobacterial metabolites exhibit many unique structural features as well as rare or novel modes of action, making them attractive lead structures for drug development. Both genome sequencing and metabolic profiling of myxobacterial strains suggest that the diversity of myxobacterial secondary metabolism is far greater than previously appreciated. The present review discusses the structure, cytology, physiology, and ecology of myxobacteria, as well as their secondary metabolite production and social interactions.

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“…When cells sense low nutrient availability, they begin a developmental program that results in multicellular fruiting-body formation and differentiation into resistant myxospores (18). Regulation of these complex processes is governed in part by a large repertoire of signaling proteins, including 127 TCS and 8 chemosensory systems (15,16). In this report, we characterize the Che7 ACF chemosensory system for its role in M. xanthus development.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The soil bacterium Myxococcus xanthus has over 40 SD-RRs, 6 of which are genetically associated with chemosensory systems (15,16). M. xanthus is a model organism for the study of signal transduction and development.…”

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confidence: 99%

Chemosensory Regulation of a HEAT-Repeat Protein Couples Aggregation and Sporulation in Myxococcus xanthus

et al. 2014

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cChemosensory systems are complex, highly modified two-component systems (TCS) used by bacteria to control various biological functions ranging from motility to sporulation. Chemosensory systems and TCS both modulate phosphorelays comprised of histidine kinases and response regulators, some of which are single-domain response regulators (SD-RRs) such as CheY. In this study, we have identified and characterized the Che7 chemosensory system of Myxococcus xanthus, a common soil bacterium which displays multicellular development in response to stress. Both genetic and biochemical analyses indicate that the Che7 system regulates development via a direct interaction between the SD-RR CheY7 and a HEAT repeat domain-containing protein, Cpc7. Phosphorylation of the SD-RR affects the interaction with its target, and residues within the ␣4-␤5-␣5 fold of the REC domain govern this interaction. The identification of the Cpc7 interaction with CheY7 extends the diversity of known targets for SD-RRs in biological systems.

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Draft Genome Sequence of Myxococcus xanthus Wild-Type Strain DZ2, a Model Organism for Predation and Development

Cited by 36 publications

References 40 publications

Sibling Rivalry in Myxococcus xanthus Is Mediated by Kin Recognition and a Polyploid Prophage

Sibling Rivalry in Myxococcus xanthus Is Mediated by Kin Recognition and a Polyploid Prophage

Current trends in myxobacteria research

Chemosensory Regulation of a HEAT-Repeat Protein Couples Aggregation and Sporulation in Myxococcus xanthus

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