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Current trends in myxobacteria research

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Abstract

Myxobacteria are fascinating Gram-negative bacteria whose life cycle includes the formation of multicellular fruiting bodies that contain about 100,000 cells differentiated as asexual spores for their long-term survival. They move by gliding on surfaces, an activity that helps them carry out their primitive kind of multicellular development. Myxobacteria have multiple traits that are clearly social in nature; they move and feed socially. These processes require specific intercellular signals, thereby exhibiting a sophisticated level of the inter-organismal communication. Myxobacteria are predators. Predation is social not only with respect to searching for prey (motility) but also in the killing of prey. Swarming groups of cells secrete antibiotics and bacteriolytic compounds that kill and lyse their prey, and food is thereby released. Since the last three decades, myxobacteria are known as valuable producers of secondary metabolites exhibiting various biological activities. Myxobacterial metabolites exhibit many unique structural features as well as rare or novel modes of action, making them attractive lead structures for drug development. Both genome sequencing and metabolic profiling of myxobacterial strains suggest that the diversity of myxobacterial secondary metabolism is far greater than previously appreciated. The present review discusses the structure, cytology, physiology, and ecology of myxobacteria, as well as their secondary metabolite production and social interactions.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by Grant from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Grant No. 2 PO4 C 040 29). Dr Mahendra Rai is thankful to Nicolaus Copernicus University (Torun, Poland) for fellowships to Visiting Professors within the project “Enhancing Educational Potential of Nicolaus Copernicus University in the Disciplines of Mathematical and Natural Sciences” conducted under Sub-measure 4.1.1 Human Capital Operational Programme – Task 7 (Project No.POKL.04.01.01-00-081/10)”

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  1. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Torun, Poland

    Wioletta Wrótniak-Drzewiecka, Anna Joanna Brzezińska & Hanna Dahm

  2. Department of Biotechnology, Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, Amravat, 444 602, Maharashtra, India

    Avinash P. Ingle & Mahendra Rai

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  1. Wioletta Wrótniak-Drzewiecka
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Correspondence to Wioletta Wrótniak-Drzewiecka.

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Wrótniak-Drzewiecka, W., Brzezińska, A.J., Dahm, H. et al. Current trends in myxobacteria research. Ann Microbiol 66, 17–33 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13213-015-1104-3

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