title: Early Developmental Program Shapes Colony Morphology in Bacteria.
abstract: When grown on a solid surface, bacteria form highly organized colonies, yet little is known about the earliest stages of colony establishment. Following Bacillus subtilis colony development from a single progenitor cell, a sequence of highly ordered spatiotemporal events was revealed. Colony was initiated by the formation of leading-cell chains, deriving from the colony center and extending in multiple directions, typically in a "Y-shaped" structure. By eradicating particular cells during these early stages, we could influence the shape of the resulting colony and demonstrate that Y-arm extension defines colony size. A mutant in ymdB encoding a phosphodiesterase displayed unordered developmental patterns, indicating a role in guiding these initial events. Finally, we provide evidence that intercellular nanotubes contribute to proper colony formation. In summary, we reveal a "construction plan" for building a colony and provide the initial molecular basis for this process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, POB 12272, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120 Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Gideon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mamou
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, POB 12272, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120 Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Ganesh Babu
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Malli Mohan
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, POB 12272, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120 Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rouvinski
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, POB 12272, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120 Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, POB 12272, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120 Jerusalem, Israel. Electronic address: sigalb@ekmd.huji.ac.il.
authors.forename: Sigal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ben-Yehuda
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D056265:Microbial Interactions; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009154:Mutation; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D059008:Time-Lapse Imaging
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases