Cell-cell interactions in developmental lysis of Myxococcus xanthus.
The developmental events of sporulation and fruiting body formation in the prokaryote Myxococcus xanthus are preceded by a stage of massive cell death. Two phenotypically complementable strains of M. xanthus defective in developmental lysis were identified from a group of conditional sporulation mutants. Mixture of the two lysis groups resulted in full complementation of lysis, sporulation, and fruiting body formation; efficient sporulation was observed only in strain mixtures where lysis was complemented. We have identified a cell-free extract from developing cells that phenotypically complemented lysis, sporulation, and fruiting body formation in one group of mutants; the active component of this extract appeared to be tightly cell associated. The effect of the cell-free extract could be replaced by exogenously supplied glucosamine or mannosamine.
D002450:Cell Communication; D002474:Cell-Free System; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006595:Hexosamines / Q000494:pharmacology; D009231:Myxococcales / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D013171:Spores, Bacterial; D013997:Time Factors
D006595:Hexosamines; C008322:mannosamine; D005944:Glucosamine