ArticleApplied and environmental microbiology2015
Predation by Myxococcus xanthus induces Bacillus subtilis to form spore-filled megastructures.
Article in Applied and environmental microbiology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers.
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Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 70 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Phage triggers spatial sporulation defense trade-offs.The ISME journal · 2026Article
- Predation, evo-devo, and historical contingency: A nematode predator drives evolution of aggregative multicellularity.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Bacillus subtilis ensures high spore quality in competition with Salmonella Typhimurium via the SigB-dependent pathway.The ISME journal · 2025Article
- Siderophores and competition for iron govern myxobacterial predation dynamics.The ISME journal · 2024Article
- Interactions of DifferentInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- New Thoughts on an Old Topic: Secrets of Bacterial Spore Resistance Slowly Being Revealed.Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR · 2023Review
- Predatory Strategies ofMicroorganisms · 2023Article
- Plant-associated Bacillus mobilizes its secondary metabolites upon perception of the siderophore pyochelin produced by a Pseudomonas competitor.The ISME journal · 2023Article
- Transcriptomic response ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Lysis profile and preference ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Thiocillin contributes to the ecological fitness ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Systemically engineeringFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2022Article
- Concepts and conjectures concerning predatory performance of myxobacteria.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Review
- Lipopeptide Interplay Mediates Molecular Interactions between Soil Bacilli and Pseudomonads.Microbiology spectrum · 2021Article
- Article
- Antimicrobial Activity of Metals and Metalloids.Annual review of microbiology · 2021Review
- Bacillus subtilis biofilm formation and social interactions.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2021Review
- An alternating active-dormitive strategy enables disadvantaged prey to outcompete the perennially active prey through Parrondo's paradox.BMC biology · 2021Article
- Functional genomics study of Pseudomonas putida to determine traits associated with avoidance of a myxobacterial predator.Scientific reports · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Biofilm formation is a common mechanism for surviving environmental stress and can be triggered by both intraspecies and interspecies interactions. Prolonged predator-prey interactions between the soil bacterium Myxococcus xanthus and Bacillus subtilis were found to induce the formation of a new type of B. subtilis biofilm, termed megastructures. Megastructures are tree-like brachiations that are as large as 500 μm in diameter, are raised above the surface between 150 and 200 μm, and are filled with viable endospores embedded within a dense matrix. Megastructure formation did not depend on TasA, EpsE, SinI, RemA, or surfactin production and thus is genetically distinguishable from colony biofilm formation on MSgg medium. As B. subtilis endospores are not susceptible to predation by M. xanthus, megastructures appear to provide an alternative mechanism for survival. In addition, M. xanthus fruiting bodies were found immediately adjacent to the megastructures in nearly all instances, suggesting that M. xanthus is unable to acquire sufficient nutrients from cells housed within the megastructures. Lastly, a B. subtilis mutant lacking the ability to defend itself via bacillaene production formed megastructures more rapidly than the parent. Together, the results indicate that production of the megastructure facilitates B. subtilis escape into dormancy via sporulation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.