Myxococcus

Myxococcus
Fruiting bodies of M. xanthus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Kingdom:	Pseudomonadati
Phylum:	Myxococcota
Class:	Myxococcia
Order:	Myxococcales
Family:	Myxococcaceae
Genus:	Myxococcus Thaxter 1892
Type species
Myxococcus rubescens (Cohn 1875) Jahn 1911
Species
See text
Synonyms
Myxococcus section "Simplices" Jahn 1911 Myxococcus section "Stipitatae" Jahn 1911 Pyxidicoccuscorrig. Reichenbach 2007

Myxococcus is a genus of bacteria in the family Myxococcaceae. Myxococci are Gram-negative, spore-forming, chemoorganotrophic, obligate aerobes. They are elongated rods with rounded or tapered ends, and they are nonflagellated. The cells utilize gliding motility to move and can predate other bacteria. The genus has been isolated from soil.

Taxonomy

At least eleven species had been identified with confidence by late 2020 and each had been characterised to some extent. As well as using traditional biochemical tests, strains of some species had been compared using whole genome sequences. This approach has provided evidence that the genus, like most bacterial genera, has a core set of genes found in all members of the genus, along with others that are confined to particular species. The identity of Myxococcus species therefore continues to change. An example where taxonomy may be changed is that comparisons of genome sequences and biochemical tests indicated that M. xanthus and M. virescens were not distinguishable. ^{[1] [2]}

Description

Myxococcus are known to form fruiting bodies using chemical signals. The cells communicate with each other, and in response to stress factors, most often starvation, form dense fruiting bodies that allow them to survive harsh environments. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]} The genetic programs underlying fruiting body formation in Myxococcus exhibit an unexpected level of plasticity, suggesting that the genetic program underlying fruiting body formation in various Myxococci is not conserved, leading to diverse reactions in all Myxococcus species. ^[12] Myxococcus, specifically Myxococcus xanthus, has been found to use direct communication between cells to form fruiting bodies rather than chemotaxis. ^{[3] [13]}

Myxococcus are social microbes and often seen as exhibiting behavior akin to a pack of wolves. ^[14] They are able to communicate with each other via quorum sensing. ^[15] In Myxococcus, quorum sensing is mediated by two signaling molecules: A-factor and C-signal. A-factor is a small, diffusible molecule produced by all cells in the population. When the concentration of A-factor reaches a certain threshold, it binds to receptors on the surface of cells and triggers a cascade of events that leads to aggregation. ^[15]

Myxococcus secretes antibiotics and bacteriolytic enzymes to kill prey. Because of this, there has been speculation of using Myxococcus as an antibiotic. ^[16]

Sources

• "Myxococcus". The Encyclopedia of Life .

Phylogeny

The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) ^[17] and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) ^[18]

16S rRNA based LTP_10_2024 [19] [20] [21]

120 marker proteins based GTDB 09-RS220 [22] [23] [24]

Myxococcus Pyxidicoccus fallax M. fulvus M. dinghuensis M. stipitatus Pyxidicoccus xibeiensis Pyxidicoccus trucidator M. guangdongensis M. qinghaiensis M. eversor [1] M. llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis [1] M. macrosporus M. vastator [1] M. virescens M. xanthus

Myxococcus M. dinghuensisWang et al. 2023 M. guangdongensisWang et al. 2023 M. fulvus(Cohn 1875) Jahn 1911 "M. landrumus" Ahearne et al. 2023 M. stipitatusThaxter 1897 M. llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensisChambers et al. 2021 M. eversorChambers et al. 2021 M. qinghaiensisWang et al. 2023 Pyxidicoccus fallaxcorrig. Reichenbach 2007 Pyxidicoccus xibeiensisWang et al. 2023 Pyxidicoccus trucidatorChambers et al. 2020 "Pyxidicoccus caerfyrddinensis" Chambers et al. 2020 "Pyxidicoccus parkwaysis" Ahearne et al. 2023 "M. hansupus" Sharma et al. 2016 [2] M. macrosporus(Krzemieniewska & Krzemieniewski 1926) Zahler & McCurdy 1974 non Zukal 1897 M. vastatorChambers et al. 2021 M. virescensThaxter 1892 M. xanthus Beebe 1941

See also

• List of bacterial orders
• List of bacteria genera

References

1. Chambers, James; Sparks, Natalie; Sydney, Natashia; Livingstone, Paul G.; Cookson, Alan R.; Whitworth, David E. (2020). "Comparative genomics and pan-genomics of the Myxococcaceae, including a description of five novel species: Myxococcus eversor sp. nov., Myxococcus llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis sp. nov., Myxococcus vastator sp. nov., Pyxidicoccus caerfyrddinensis sp. nov. and Pyxidicoccus trucidator sp. nov". Genome Biology and Evolution. evaa212 (12): 2289–2302. doi:10.1093/gbe/evaa212. PMC   7846144 . PMID   33022031.
2. Sharma, Gaurav; Narwani, Tarun; Subramanian, Srikrishna (2016). "Complete Genome Sequence and Comparative Genomics of a Novel Myxobacterium Myxococcus hansupus". PLOS ONE. 11 (2): e0148593. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1148593S. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148593 . PMC   4765838 . PMID   26900859.
3. Sozinova, Olga; Jiang, Yi; Kaiser, Dale; Alber, Mark (14 November 2006). "A three-dimensional model of myxobacterial fruiting-body formation". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 103 (46): 17255–17259. Bibcode:2006PNAS..10317255S. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0605555103 . PMC   1859919 . PMID   17088558.
4. Curtis, Patrick D.; Taylor, Rion G.; Welch, Roy D.; Shimkets, Lawrence J. (December 2007). "Spatial organization of Myxococcus xanthus during fruiting body formation". Journal of Bacteriology. 189 (24): 9126–9130. doi:10.1128/JB.01008-07. PMC   2168639 . PMID   17921303.
5. Smith, Robert P.; Barraza, Ivana; Quinn, Rebecca J.; Fortoul, Marla C. (2020). "The mechanisms and cell signaling pathways of programmed cell death in the bacterial world". Cell Death Regulation in Health and Disease - Part B. International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology. Vol. 352. pp. 1–53. doi:10.1016/bs.ircmb.2019.12.002. ISBN   978-0-12-819929-9. PMID   32334813. S2CID   212759298.
6. Bassler, Bonnie L.; Miller, Melissa B. (2013). "Quorum Sensing". The Prokaryotes. pp. 495–509. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-30123-0_60. ISBN   978-3-642-30122-3.
7. Miller, Melissa B.; Bassler, Bonnie L. (October 2001). "Quorum Sensing in Bacteria". Annual Review of Microbiology. 55 (1): 165–199. doi:10.1146/annurev.micro.55.1.165. PMID   11544353.
8. Cao, Pengbo; Dey, Arup; Vassallo, Christopher N.; Wall, Daniel (November 2015). "How Myxobacteria Cooperate". Journal of Molecular Biology. 427 (23): 3709–3721. doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2015.07.022. PMC   4658263 . PMID   26254571.
9. Sliusarenko, Oleksii; Zusman, David R.; Oster, George (15 January 2007). "Aggregation during Fruiting Body Formation in Myxococcus xanthus Is Driven by Reducing Cell Movement". Journal of Bacteriology. 189 (2): 611–619. doi:10.1128/JB.01206-06. PMC   1797407 . PMID   17098901.
10. Shimkets, Lawrence J. (October 1999). "Intercellular Signaling During Fruiting-Body Development of Myxococcus xanthus". Annual Review of Microbiology. 53 (1): 525–549. doi:10.1146/annurev.micro.53.1.525. PMID   10547700.
11. Ritchie, Linnea J.; Curtis, Erin R.; Murphy, Kimberly A.; Welch, Roy D. (2021-11-05). "Profiling Myxococcus xanthus Swarming Phenotypes through Mutation and Environmental Variation". Journal of Bacteriology. 203 (23): e0030621. doi:10.1128/JB.00306-21. ISSN   1098-5530. PMC   8570273 . PMID   34543101.
12. Huntley, Stuart; Hamann, Nils; Wegener-Feldbrügge, Sigrun; Treuner-Lange, Anke; Kube, Michael; Reinhardt, Richard; Klages, Sven; Müller, Rolf; Ronning, Catherine M.; Nierman, William C.; Søgaard-Andersen, Lotte (February 2011). "Comparative Genomic Analysis of Fruiting Body Formation in Myxococcales". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 28 (2): 1083–1097. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msq292 . PMID   21037205.
13. Curtis, Patrick D.; Taylor, Rion G.; Welch, Roy D.; Shimkets, Lawrence J. (December 2007). "Spatial organization of Myxococcus xanthus during fruiting body formation". Journal of Bacteriology. 189 (24): 9126–9130. doi:10.1128/JB.01008-07. ISSN   1098-5530. PMC   2168639 . PMID   17921303.
14. Marshall, Rupert C.; Whitworth, David E. (April 2019). "Is 'Wolf-Pack' Predation by Antimicrobial Bacteria Cooperative? Cell Behaviour and Predatory Mechanisms Indicate Profound Selfishness, Even when Working Alongside Kin". BioEssays. 41 (4): 1800247. doi: 10.1002/bies.201800247 . hdl: 2160/5c635d4e-14b7-4c01-9ea9-8fa760b2178f . PMID   30919490. S2CID   85544906.
15. Lloyd, Daniel G.; Whitworth, David E. (14 March 2017). "The Myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus Can Sense and Respond to the Quorum Signals Secreted by Potential Prey Organisms". Frontiers in Microbiology. 8: 439. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00439 . PMC   5348527 . PMID   28352265.
16. Thiery, Susanne; Kaimer, Christine (2020). "The Predation Strategy of Myxococcus xanthus". Frontiers in Microbiology. 11: 2. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00002 . PMC   6971385 . PMID   32010119.
17. A.C. Parte; et al. "Myxococcus". List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN). Retrieved 2022-09-09.
18. Sayers; et al. "Myxococcus". National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) taxonomy database. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
19. "The LTP" . Retrieved 10 December 2024.
20. "LTP_all tree in newick format" . Retrieved 10 December 2024.
21. "LTP_10_2024 Release Notes" (PDF). Retrieved 10 December 2024.
22. "GTDB release 09-RS220". Genome Taxonomy Database . Retrieved 10 May 2024.
23. "bac120_r220.sp_labels". Genome Taxonomy Database . Retrieved 10 May 2024.
24. "Taxon History". Genome Taxonomy Database . Retrieved 10 May 2024.