Publication Date

12-1-2025

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Scientific Reports

Volume

15

Issue

1

DOI

10.1038/s41598-025-15915-8

Abstract

Under starvation conditions, a spot of a few million Myxococcus xanthus cells on agar will migrate inward to form aggregates that mature into dome-shaped fruiting bodies. This migration is thought to occur within structures called ‘streams,’ which are considered crucial for initiating aggregation. The prevailing traffic jam model hypothesizes that intersections of streams cause cell crowding and ‘jamming,’ thereby initiating the process of aggregate formation. However, this hypothesis has not been rigorously tested, in part due to the lack of a standardized, quantifiable definition of streams. To address this gap, we captured time-lapse movies and conducted fluorescent cell tracking experiments using wild-type and two motility-deficient mutant M. xanthus strains. By quantitatively defining streams and developing a novel stream detection mask, we show that streams are not essential for nascent aggregate formation, though they may accelerate the process. Moreover, our results indicate that streaming has a genetic component: disrupting only one of the two M. xanthus motility systems hinders stream formation. Together, these findings challenge the idea that stream intersections are required to drive aggregate formation and suggest that M. xanthus aggregation may be driven by mechanisms independent of streaming, highlighting the need for alternative models to fully explain aggregation dynamics.

Funding Number

MCB 1856665

Funding Sponsor

National Science Foundation

Keywords

Aggregate, Biofilm, Myxococcus xanthus, Stream, Traffic jam model

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Mathematics and Statistics

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