Rikesh Jain

Abstract The predatory bacterium, Myxococcus xanthus, kills its prey by contact, using a putative Tight Adherence pilus, known as the Kil system, along with a protein complex resembling the basal body a type-III secretion system, named the “needleless” T3SS*. In this work, we provide direct evidence that Myxococcus polymerizes a Kil pilus at the prey contact site, which is constituted by the major pilin KilP.

Abstract Despite growing awareness of their importance in soil ecology, the genetic and physiological traits of bacterial predators are still relatively poorly understood. In the course of a Myxococcus xanthus predator evolution experiment, we discovered a class of genotypes leading to enhanced predation against diverse species. RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that this phenotype is linked to the constitutive activation of a predation-specific program.

Abstract Despite growing awareness for their importance in soil ecology, the genetic and physiological traits of bacterial predators are still relatively poorly understood. In the course of a Myxococcus xanthus predator evolution experiment, we discovered a class of genotypes leading to enhanced predation against evolutionary-diverse species.