Direct live imaging of cell-cell protein transfer by transient outer membrane fusion in Myxococcus xanthus

In bacteria, multicellular behaviors are regulated by cell-cell signaling through the exchange of both diffusible and contact-dependent signals. In a multicellular context, Myxococcus cells can share outer membrane (OM) materials by an unknown mechanism involving the traAB genes and gliding motility...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:eLife 2013-07, Vol.2, p.e00868-e00868
Main Authors: Ducret, Adrien, Fleuchot, Betty, Bergam, Ptissam, Mignot, Tâm
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacterial Proteins - metabolism
Cell Biology
Efficiency
Experiments
Gliding
lipid tube
Lipids
Localization
Membrane Fusion
Microbiology and Infectious Disease
Motility
Myxococcus xanthus
Myxococcus xanthus - metabolism
Polymers
Protein Transport
Proteins
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Summary:In bacteria, multicellular behaviors are regulated by cell-cell signaling through the exchange of both diffusible and contact-dependent signals. In a multicellular context, Myxococcus cells can share outer membrane (OM) materials by an unknown mechanism involving the traAB genes and gliding motility. Using live imaging, we show for the first time that transient contacts between two cells are sufficient to transfer OM materials, proteins and lipids, at high efficiency. Transfer was associated with the formation of dynamic OM tubes, strongly suggesting that transfer results from the local fusion of the OMs of two transferring cells. Last, large amounts of OM materials were released in slime trails deposited by gliding cells. Since cells tend to follow trails laid by other cells, slime-driven OM material exchange may be an important stigmergic regulation of Myxococcus social behaviors. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00868.001.
ISSN:2050-084X
2050-084X
DOI:10.7554/eLife.00868