What is unusual about the morphology of myxobacteria?
What is unusual about the morphology of myxobacteria?
Myxobacteria are Gram-negative unicellular rod shaped bacteria that occur everywhere in soils. They are characterized by an unusual way of life, as they move by gliding or creeping on surfaces. Using exoenzymes they lyse different biological macromolecules as well as whole microorganisms such as bacteria and yeasts.
Where can you find myxococcus Xanthus?
Myxobacteria are ubiquitous in soil environments. They display a complex life cycle: vegetatively growing cells coordinate their motility to form multicellular swarms, which upon starvation aggregate into large fruiting bodies where cells differentiate into spores.
When was myxobacteria discovered?
In 1892, Thaxter was the first who described myxobacteria in literature [19]. He found out that Chondromyces crocatus was a bacterium and he had discovered its unicellular vegetative stage. This was spectacular, because until such time, C. crocatus had been considered a slime mold for more than 20 years [14].
What are Myxospores?
a spore produced within any of various fruiting bodies of myxomycetes. GOOSES.
How does Myxococcus xanthus reproduce?
During stressful conditions, the bacteria undergo a process in which about 100,000 individual cells aggregate to form a structure called the fruiting body over the course of several hours. On the interior of the fruiting body, the rod-shaped cells differentiate into spherical, thick-walled spores.
Do myxobacteria have flagella?
Myxococcus xanthus is a motile bacterium that does not produce flagella but glides slowly over solid surfaces.
How are Myxospores made?
The cells swarm over surfaces cooperatively digesting their prey. When they run out of food, thousands to millions of myxobacterial cells aggregate to form a fruiting body. Within the fruiting body the cells differentiate to become dormant myxospores.
