Abstract

Bacteria have developed various mechanisms by which they sense, interact, and kill other bacteria, in an attempt to outcompete one another and survive. Here we show that Bacillus subtilis can kill and prey on Bacillus megaterium. We find that Bacillus subtilis rapidly inhibits Bacillus megaterium growth by delivering the tRNase toxin WapA. Furthermore, utilizing the methionine analogue L-azidohomoalanine as a nutrient reporter, we provide evidence of nutrient extraction from Bacillus megaterium by Bacillus subtilis. Toxin delivery and nutrient extraction occur in a contact-dependent manner, and both activities are abolished in the absence of the phosphodiestrase YmdB, shown previously to mediate intercellular nanotube formation. Furthermore, we detect the localization of WapA molecules to nanotubes. Thus, we propose that Bacillus subtilis utilizes the same nanotube apparatus in a bidirectional manner, delivering toxin and acquiring beneficial cargo, thereby maximally exploiting potential niche resources.

Details

Title
Interspecies nutrient extraction and toxin delivery between bacteria
Author
Stempler, Ofer 1 ; Baidya, Amit K 1 ; Bhattacharya, Saurabh 1 ; Ganesh Babu Malli Mohan 2 ; Tzipilevich, Elhanan 1 ; Sinai, Lior 1 ; Mamou, Gideon 1 ; Ben-Yehuda, Sigal 1 

 Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, POB 12272, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel 
 Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, POB 12272, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Pasadena, California, USA 
Pages
1-9
Publication year
2017
Publication date
Aug 2017
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1930852743
Copyright
© 2017. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.