Myxococcus xanthus predation: an updated overview

Bacterial predators are widely distributed across a variety of natural environments. Understanding predatory interactions is of great importance since they play a defining role in shaping microbial communities in habitats such as soils. is a soil-dwelling bacterial predator that can prey on Gram-pos...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in microbiology 2024, Vol.15, p.1339696-1339696
Main Authors: Contreras-Moreno, Francisco Javier, Pérez, Juana, Muñoz-Dorado, José, Moraleda-Muñoz, Aurelio, Marcos-Torres, Francisco Javier
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
bacterial interaction
bacterial predation
Microbiology
motility
myxobacteria
predator-prey interactions
secondary metabolites
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Bacterial predators are widely distributed across a variety of natural environments. Understanding predatory interactions is of great importance since they play a defining role in shaping microbial communities in habitats such as soils. is a soil-dwelling bacterial predator that can prey on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and even on eukaryotic microorganisms. This model organism has been studied for many decades for its unusual lifecycle, characterized by the formation of multicellular fruiting bodies filled with myxospores. However, less is known about its predatory behavior despite being an integral part of its lifecycle. Predation in is a multifactorial process that involves several mechanisms working synergistically, including motility systems to efficiently track and hunt prey, and a combination of short-range and contact-dependent mechanisms to achieve prey death and feed on them. In the short-range attack, is best known for the collective production of secondary metabolites and hydrolytic enzymes to kill prey and degrade cellular components. On the other hand, contact-dependent killing is a cell-to-cell process that relies on Tad-like and type III secretion systems. Furthermore, recent research has revealed that metals also play an important role during predation, either by inducing oxidative stress in the prey, or by competing for essential metals. In this paper, we review the current knowledge about predation, focusing on the different mechanisms used to hunt, kill, and feed on its prey, considering the most recent discoveries and the transcriptomic data available.
ISSN:1664-302X
1664-302X
DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2024.1339696