Abstract
The myxobacteria are social and capable of constructing intricate macroscopic structures called fruiting bodies. First recognized as bacteria in 1892 by the cryptogamic botanist Roland Thaxter, these exotic anomalies have proved challenging to microbiologists. Even so, we now know a great deal about the nutrition, life cycle, growth physiology, intermediary metabolism, structural chemistry, genetics, and regulatory pathways of one of the myxobacteria, Myxococcus xanthus. Despite such progress, however, the myxobacteria leave us with several outstanding puzzles, including: How do fruiting bodies form? What is the function of “A,” or adventurous, gliding motility, and how is “S,” or social motility coordinated? How can we understand the cellular morphogenesis of myxospore formation and germination? What mechanisms control M. xanthus swarming behavior? What is the ecological role of the myxobacteria?
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
