Lysis of Human Pathogenic Bacteria by Myxobacteria

Mathew, Saleena; Dudani, A. T.

doi:10.1038/175125a0

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The diversity in prey specificity displayed by the strains tested in this study suggests varying degrees of specialization within the predatory flavobacteria, as has been found for other predatory bacteria (Mathew & Dudani, 1955;Stolp & Starr, 1963;Jurkevitch et al, 2000;Bull et al, 2002;Davidov et al, 2006a, b). At least with respect to the prey species and growth conditions assayed here, strains VCSA23 and VCSM12 appear to be more cosmopolitan in terms of susceptible prey than the Tenacibaculum strains.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…Interestingly, the images collected from cleared zones of prey lawns on membrane filters indicate that S. oneidensis prey is not completely eliminated by any of the predators tested (Figs 2 and 3, Figs S1-S4). Although incomplete elimination of prey populations has been commonly observed for obligate planktonic predators, such as Bdellovibrio (Keya & Alexander, 1975;Jurkevitch et al, 2000;Shemesh & Jurkevitch, 2004), it has often been assumed that gliding predators such as myxobacteria completely lyse their local prey populations (Mathew & Dudani, 1955). However, attempts to assess prey survival after myxobacterial predation have shown that the complete elimination of prey cells is rare (Singh, 1947;Hillesland et al, 2007) and that a small number of viable prey cells can be recovered after the lysis of 4 99% of the original prey population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Novel strains isolated from a coastal aquifer suggest a predatory role for flavobacteria

Banning

Casciotti

Kujawinski

2010

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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Three newly isolated strains of flavobacteria from coastal aquifer sediments have been found to be predatory, lysing a range of live and pasteurized microbial prey. The three strains have been classified on the basis of 16S rRNA gene phylogeny as belonging to the recently described Olleya (strains VCSA23 and VCSM12) and Tenacibaculum (strain VCSA14A) genera. Two of the closest cultured relatives to the strain VCSA14A, Tenacibaculum discolor and Tenacibaculum gallaicum, were also found to be bacteriolytic. These five predatory strains exhibit gliding motility and have been observed to lyse prey cells after surrounding them with social swarms, similar to known predatory bacteria such as myxobacteria and members of the genus Lysobacter. Flavobacteria are often numerically significant in a wide variety of freshwater and marine environments, particularly in association with particles, and are thought to be involved in the degradation of biopolymeric substances. If predatory capability is widespread among flavobacteria, they may be a previously unrecognized source of 'top-down' bacterial mortality with an influence on the composition and activity of surrounding microbial communities.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel strains isolated from a coastal aquifer suggest a predatory role for flavobacteria

Banning

Casciotti

Kujawinski

2010

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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“…Thus, study of the M. xanthus predation mechanism will require an analysis of the antibiotic metabolites produced, the degradative enzymes secreted, as well as investigations into the cell biology of predator–prey cell contacts and the behavior of M. xanthus at both the individual and group levels. A study by Mathew & Dudani (1955) examined the predatory range of two other Myxococcus species, Myxococcus virescens and Myxococcus fulvus , on a variety of human pathogens, including S. aureus, Mycobacterium phlei, Shigella dysenteriae, Vibrio cholerae, Proteus X , and several Salmonella isolates. With the exception of M. phlei , all of the examined pathogenic species were completely or partially lysed, indicating that deciphering the predatory mechanism utilized by Myxobacteria species is of practical importance to improving our understanding of how to treat bacterial infectious diseases.…”

Section: Myxococcus Xanthus Predation Utilizes a Novel Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Deciphering the hunting strategy of a bacterial wolfpack

2009

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Myxococcus xanthus is a common soil bacterium with an intricate multicellular lifestyle that continues to challenge the way in which we conceptualize the capabilities of prokaryotic organisms. M. xanthus is the preferred laboratory representative from the Myxobacteria, a family of organisms distinguished by their ability to form highly structured biofilms that include tentacle-like packs of surface-gliding cell groups, synchronized rippling waves of oscillating cells and massive spore-filled aggregates that protrude up from the substratum to form fruiting bodies. But most of the Myxobacteria are also predators that thrive on the degradation of macromolecules released through the lysis of other microbial cells. The aim of this review is to examine our understanding of the predatory life cycle of M. xanthus. We will examine the multicellular structures formed during contact with prey, and the molecular mechanisms utilized by M. xanthus to detect and destroy prey cells. We will also examine our understanding of microbial predator-prey relationships and the prospects for how bacterial predation mechanisms can be exploited to generate new anti-microbial technologies.

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“…In nature, M. xanthus cells obtain nutrients by swarming and feeding on colonies formed by Gram-negative and Gram-positive prey bacteria (3). When prey are scarce, there is a critical point at which the swarm stops expanding outward in search of food and starts retreating inward to build multicellular fruiting bodies that contain stress-resistant spores.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A cascade of coregulating enhancer binding proteins initiates and propagates a multicellular developmental program

Giglio

Caberoy

Suen

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

139

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The signal transduction networks that initiate multicellular development in bacteria remain largely undefined. Here, we report that Myxococcus xanthus regulates entry into its multicellular developmental program using a novel strategy: a cascade of transcriptional activators known as enhancer binding proteins (EBPs). The EBPs in the cascade function in sequential stages of early development, and several lines of evidence indicate that the cascade is propagated when EBPs that function at one stage of development directly regulate transcription of an EBP gene important for the next developmental stage. We also show that the regulatory cascade is designed in a novel way that extensively expands on the typical use of EBPs: Instead of using only one EBP to regulate a particular gene or group of genes, which is the norm in other bacterial systems, the cascade uses multiple EBPs to regulate EBP genes that are positioned at key transition points in early development. Based on the locations of the putative EBP promoter binding sites, several different mechanisms of EBP coregulation are possible, including the formation of coregulating EBP transcriptional complexes. We propose that M. xanthus uses an EBP coregulation strategy to make expression of EBP genes that modulate stage-stage transitions responsive to multiple signal transduction pathways, which provide information that is important for a coordinated decision to advance the developmental process.

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Lysis of Human Pathogenic Bacteria by Myxobacteria

Cited by 14 publications

References 3 publications

Novel strains isolated from a coastal aquifer suggest a predatory role for flavobacteria

Novel strains isolated from a coastal aquifer suggest a predatory role for flavobacteria

Deciphering the hunting strategy of a bacterial wolfpack

A cascade of coregulating enhancer binding proteins initiates and propagates a multicellular developmental program

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