Waves and aggregation patterns in myxobacteria

被引:84
作者
Igoshin, OA
Welch, R
Kaiser, D
Oster, G
机构
[1] Univ Calif Berkeley, Dept Phys, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
[2] Univ Calif Berkeley, Dept Mol & Cellular Biol, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
[3] Univ Calif Berkeley, Dept Environm Sci Policy & Management, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
[4] Stanford Univ, Dept Biochem, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1073/pnas.0400704101
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Under starvation conditions, a population of myxobacteria aggregates to build a fruiting body whose shape is species-specific and within which the cells sporulate. Early in this process, cells often pass through a "ripple phase" characterized by traveling linear, concentric, and spiral waves. These waves are different from the waves observed during slime mold aggregation that depend on diffusible morphogens, because myxobacteria communicate by direct contact. The difference is most dramatic when waves collide: rather than annihilating one another, myxobacterial waves appear to pass through one another unchanged. Under certain conditions, the spacing and location of the nascent fruiting bodies is determined by the wavelength and pattern of the waves. Later in fruiting body development, waves are replaced by streams of cells that circulate around small initial aggregates enlarging and rounding them. Still later, pairs of motile aggregates coalesce to form larger aggregates that develop into fruiting bodies. Here we present a mathematical model that quantitatively explains these wave and aggregation phenomena.
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页码:4256 / 4261
页数:6
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