title: Marine tubeworm metamorphosis induced by arrays of bacterial phage tail-like structures.
abstract: Many benthic marine animal populations are established and maintained by free-swimming larvae that recognize cues from surface-bound bacteria to settle and metamorphose. Larvae of the tubeworm Hydroides elegans, an important biofouling agent, require contact with surface-bound bacteria to undergo metamorphosis; however, the mechanisms that underpin this microbially mediated developmental transition have been enigmatic. Here, we show that a marine bacterium, Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea, produces arrays of phage tail-like structures that trigger metamorphosis of H. elegans. These arrays comprise about 100 contractile structures with outward-facing baseplates, linked by tail fibers and a dynamic hexagonal net. Not only do these arrays suggest a novel form of bacterium-animal interaction, they provide an entry point to understanding how marine biofilms can trigger animal development.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Shikuma
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pilhofer
authors.forename: Gregor L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Hadfield
authors.forename: Grant J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Dianne K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Newman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018441:Biofilms; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology; D008675:Metamorphosis, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D011077:Polychaeta / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology*; D031161:Pseudoalteromonas / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000821:virology*; D017376:Viral Tail Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001430:Bacteriocins; D017376:Viral Tail Proteins