Escape from Lethal Bacterial Competition through Coupled Activation of Antibiotic Resistance and a Mobilized Subpopulation.

ABSTRACT: Bacteria have diverse mechanisms for competition that include biosynthesis of extracellular enzymes and antibiotic metabolites, as well as changes in community physiology, such as biofilm formation or motility. Considered collectively, networks of competitive functions for any organism determine success or failure in competition. How bacteria integrate different mechanisms to optimize competitive fitness is not well studied. Here we study a model competitive interaction between two soil bacteria: Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces sp. Mg1 (S. Mg1). On an agar surface, colonies of B. subtilis suffer cellular lysis and progressive degradation caused by S. Mg1 cultured at a distance. We identify the lytic and degradative activity (LDA) as linearmycins, which are produced by S. Mg1 and are suf

SUBMITTER: Stubbendieck RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4672918 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature