Genetic and environmental determinants of streaming and aggregation in Myxococcus xanthus
Abstract Under starvation conditions, a spot of a few million Myxococcus xanthus cells on agar will migrate inward to form aggregates that mature into dome-shaped fruiting bodies. This migration is thought to occur within structures called ‘streams,’ which are considered crucial for initiating aggre...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15915-8 |
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| author | Trosporsha T. Khan Patrick Murphy Jiangguo Zhang Oleg A. Igoshin Roy D. Welch |
| author_facet | Trosporsha T. Khan Patrick Murphy Jiangguo Zhang Oleg A. Igoshin Roy D. Welch |
| author_sort | Trosporsha T. Khan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Under starvation conditions, a spot of a few million Myxococcus xanthus cells on agar will migrate inward to form aggregates that mature into dome-shaped fruiting bodies. This migration is thought to occur within structures called ‘streams,’ which are considered crucial for initiating aggregation. The prevailing traffic jam model hypothesizes that intersections of streams cause cell crowding and ‘jamming,’ thereby initiating the process of aggregate formation. However, this hypothesis has not been rigorously tested, in part due to the lack of a standardized, quantifiable definition of streams. To address this gap, we captured time-lapse movies and conducted fluorescent cell tracking experiments using wild-type and two motility-deficient mutant M. xanthus strains. By quantitatively defining streams and developing a novel stream detection mask, we show that streams are not essential for nascent aggregate formation, though they may accelerate the process. Moreover, our results indicate that streaming has a genetic component: disrupting only one of the two M. xanthus motility systems hinders stream formation. Together, these findings challenge the idea that stream intersections are required to drive aggregate formation and suggest that M. xanthus aggregation may be driven by mechanisms independent of streaming, highlighting the need for alternative models to fully explain aggregation dynamics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6449a6ee2e944515be28dd6f337653f3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-6449a6ee2e944515be28dd6f337653f32025-08-24T11:24:40ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-15915-8Genetic and environmental determinants of streaming and aggregation in Myxococcus xanthusTrosporsha T. Khan0Patrick Murphy1Jiangguo Zhang2Oleg A. Igoshin3Roy D. Welch4Department of Biology, Syracuse UniversityDepartment of Bioengineering, Rice UniversityDepartment of Bioengineering, Rice UniversityDepartment of Bioengineering, Rice UniversityDepartment of Biology, Syracuse UniversityAbstract Under starvation conditions, a spot of a few million Myxococcus xanthus cells on agar will migrate inward to form aggregates that mature into dome-shaped fruiting bodies. This migration is thought to occur within structures called ‘streams,’ which are considered crucial for initiating aggregation. The prevailing traffic jam model hypothesizes that intersections of streams cause cell crowding and ‘jamming,’ thereby initiating the process of aggregate formation. However, this hypothesis has not been rigorously tested, in part due to the lack of a standardized, quantifiable definition of streams. To address this gap, we captured time-lapse movies and conducted fluorescent cell tracking experiments using wild-type and two motility-deficient mutant M. xanthus strains. By quantitatively defining streams and developing a novel stream detection mask, we show that streams are not essential for nascent aggregate formation, though they may accelerate the process. Moreover, our results indicate that streaming has a genetic component: disrupting only one of the two M. xanthus motility systems hinders stream formation. Together, these findings challenge the idea that stream intersections are required to drive aggregate formation and suggest that M. xanthus aggregation may be driven by mechanisms independent of streaming, highlighting the need for alternative models to fully explain aggregation dynamics.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15915-8Myxococcus xanthusBiofilmTraffic jam modelStreamAggregate |
| spellingShingle | Trosporsha T. Khan Patrick Murphy Jiangguo Zhang Oleg A. Igoshin Roy D. Welch Genetic and environmental determinants of streaming and aggregation in Myxococcus xanthus Scientific Reports Myxococcus xanthus Biofilm Traffic jam model Stream Aggregate |
| title | Genetic and environmental determinants of streaming and aggregation in Myxococcus xanthus |
| title_full | Genetic and environmental determinants of streaming and aggregation in Myxococcus xanthus |
| title_fullStr | Genetic and environmental determinants of streaming and aggregation in Myxococcus xanthus |
| title_full_unstemmed | Genetic and environmental determinants of streaming and aggregation in Myxococcus xanthus |
| title_short | Genetic and environmental determinants of streaming and aggregation in Myxococcus xanthus |
| title_sort | genetic and environmental determinants of streaming and aggregation in myxococcus xanthus |
| topic | Myxococcus xanthus Biofilm Traffic jam model Stream Aggregate |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15915-8 |
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