%0 Journal Article
%T Modulation of bacterial multicellularity via spatio-specific polysaccharide secretion
%A Alain Cagna
%A Ana£¿s Benarouche
%A Annick Guiseppi
%A Castrese Morrone
%A Charles Gauthier
%A Evgeny Vinogradov
%A Fares Sa£¿di
%A Gael Brasseur
%A Gaurav Sharma
%A Gokulakrishnan Ravicoularamin
%A Henri-Pierre Fierobe
%A Israel Vergara Alvarez
%A Jean-Fran£¿ois Guillemot
%A Jean-Luc Bridot
%A Leon Espinosa
%A Mitchell Singer
%A Salim T. Islam
%A Tam Mignot
%J PLOS Biology: A Peer-Reviewed Open-Access Journal
%D 2020
%R 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000728
%X The development of multicellularity is a key evolutionary transition allowing for differentiation of physiological functions across a cell population that confers survival benefits; among unicellular bacteria, this can lead to complex developmental behaviors and the formation of higher-order community structures. Herein, we demonstrate that in the social ¦Ä-proteobacterium Myxococcus xanthus, the secretion of a novel biosurfactant polysaccharide (BPS) is spatially modulated within communities, mediating swarm migration as well as the formation of multicellular swarm biofilms and fruiting bodies. BPS is a type IV pilus (T4P)-inhibited acidic polymer built of randomly acetylated ¦Â-linked tetrasaccharide repeats. Both BPS and exopolysaccharide (EPS) are produced by dedicated Wzx/Wzy-dependent polysaccharide-assembly pathways distinct from that responsible for spore-coat assembly. While EPS is preferentially produced at the lower-density swarm periphery, BPS production is favored in the higher-density swarm interior; this is consistent with the former being known to stimulate T4P retraction needed for community expansion and a function for the latter in promoting initial cell dispersal. Together, these data reveal the central role of secreted polysaccharides in the intricate behaviors coordinating bacterial multicellularity
%K Polysaccharides
%K Exopolysaccharides
%K Protein domains
%K Polymers
%K Statistical data
%K Emulsions
%K Monosaccharides
%K Pathogen motility
%U https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3000728