bacteria have evolved to divide along their longitudinal axis without being parted from one another A research team co-led by environmental cell biologists from the University of Vienna and theInstitut national de la recherche scientifique has just published their new insights in Nature Communications. The division mode of these caterpillar-likebacteria was described in their work. New model organisms that could help identify new antimicrobial targets are proposed to be established by them.
Our mouth has over 700 species ofbacteria, but not much is known about how oralbacteria grow and divide. It's difficult to live in the mouth forbacteria. The epithelial cells lining the inner surface of the oral cavity are constantly shed, and together with salivary flow, organisms that colonize this surface will struggle for attachment
There is a chance that the Neisseriaceae have evolved a new way to grow. Some commensal Neisseriaceae that live in our mouths attach to the substrate with their tips and divide longitudinally. Once cell division is complete, they remain attached to one another and form caterpillar-like filaments. The cells in the resulting Filament may have different shapes to perform certain functions. According to the researchers, multicellularity makes cooperation between cells possible, for example in the form of division of labor.
The two standard cell shapes (rod and coccus) are included in the Neisseriaceae family ofbacterial cell shapes. The researchers were able to infer that the multicellular, longitudinally dividingbacteria evolved out of rod-shaped, transversally dividingbacteria. They were able to identify which genes were involved in the multiplication strategy.
They used fluorescent labeling techniques to show the progression of cell growth in multicellularbacteria, and then compared the genetic make-up of these with "classic" rod-shaped species. They tried to recreate that evolution with genetic changes. They could not force rod-shapedbacteria to become multicellular, but they could make them thinner. Frédéric Veyrier theorizes that in the course of evolution, the cell shape changed to better fit in the oral Cavity.
It may be useful to study howbacteria learned to live on the surface of animals, the only place they have been discovered so far. The Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology at the University of Vienna has found that half of the people carry them in their mouths.
The expansion of the cell biology field to additional morphologies and symbiotic species is crucial to increase the pool of target genes.
An evolutionary approach can shed light on new, unforeseenProtein targets can be shed light on new, unforeseenProtein targets can be shed light on new, unexpectedProtein targets can be shed light on new, unexpected
More information: Sammy Nyongesa et al, Evolution of longitudinal division in multicellular bacteria of the Neisseriaceae family, Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32260-w Journal information: Nature Communications
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