This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wireman, J W Articles by Dworkin, M Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wireman, J W Articles by Dworkin, M

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Bacteriol. 1977 February; 129(2): 798-802

Developmentally induced autolysis during fruiting body formation by Myxococcus xanthus.

ABSTRACT

The developmental events during fruiting body construction by the myxobacterium M. xanthus is an orderly process characterized by several sequential stages: growth leads to aggregation leads to formation of raised, darkened mounds of cells leads to autolysis leads to myxospore induction. The temporal sequence of autolysis followed by myxospore induction is consistent with the interpretation that developmental autolysis provides essential requirements for the surviving cells to induce to myxospores. At intermediate developmental times on agar plates a fraction of the cell population is irreversibly committed to lyse; i.e., lysis continues in liquid growth medium or in magnesium-phosphate buffer. Lysis is cell concentration independent and is therefore likely to be by an autolytic mechanism. The lysis sequence can be preliminarily characterized as having an early stage during which deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis continues and a later irreversible stage during which deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis does not occur. Irreversible lysis in liquid growth medium or in magnesium-phosphate buffer is initiated on agar plates during nutrient deprivation and such lysis results in the induction of a fraction of the population to myxospores. This induction is dependent upon the concentration of lysis products, thus providing evidence that developmentally induced autolysis is required for myxospore induction.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Mai-Prochnow, A., Lucas-Elio, P., Egan, S., Thomas, T., Webb, J. S., Sanchez-Amat, A., Kjelleberg, S. (2008). Hydrogen Peroxide Linked to Lysine Oxidase Activity Facilitates Biofilm Differentiation and Dispersal in Several Gram-Negative Bacteria. J. Bacteriol. 190: 5493-5501 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Mai-Prochnow, A., Webb, J. S., Ferrari, B. C., Kjelleberg, S. (2006). Ecological Advantages of Autolysis during the Development and Dispersal of Pseudoalteromonas tunicata Biofilms. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 5414-5420 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Mai-Prochnow, A., Evans, F., Dalisay-Saludes, D., Stelzer, S., Egan, S., James, S., Webb, J. S., Kjelleberg, S. (2004). Biofilm Development and Cell Death in the Marine Bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 3232-3238 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Webb, J. S., Thompson, L. S., James, S., Charlton, T., Tolker-Nielsen, T., Koch, B., Givskov, M., Kjelleberg, S. (2003). Cell Death in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Development. J. Bacteriol. 185: 4585-4592 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Dao, D. N., Kessin, R. H., Ennis, H. L. (2000). Developmental cheating and the evolutionary biology of Dictyostelium and Myxococcus. Microbiology 146: 1505-1512 [Full Text]