Bacterial solutions to multicellularity: a tale of biofilms, filaments and fruiting bodies

Key Points Bacterial multicellularity takes several phenotypically diverse forms and has independently evolved in different species. Simple bacterial multicellularity can rapidly evolve as a result of mutations that prevent cells from separating after division or that cause independent cells to co-a...

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Published inNature reviews. Microbiology Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 115 - 124
Main Authors Claessen, Dennis, Rozen, Daniel E., Kuipers, Oscar P., Søgaard-Andersen, Lotte, van Wezel, Gilles P.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.02.2014
Nature Publishing Group
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Summary:Key Points Bacterial multicellularity takes several phenotypically diverse forms and has independently evolved in different species. Simple bacterial multicellularity can rapidly evolve as a result of mutations that prevent cells from separating after division or that cause independent cells to co-aggregate. Hallmark features of bacterial multicellularity include morphological differentiation, programmed cell death and a well-defined and reproducible multicellular shape (known as patterning). The benefits of bacterial multicellularity include predation- and stress-resistance and improved resource acquisition and dispersal. Bacterial multicellular structures that arise via aggregation — for example, in Myxobacteria spp. — are susceptible to the emergence of cheater cells that exploit other cooperative cells. Experimental evolution offers exciting possibilities for understanding the mechanisms and dynamics of the de novo evolution of bacterial multicellularity under defined laboratory conditions. In this Review, van Wezel and colleagues discuss recent studies that have improved our understanding of the processes that lead to bacterial multicellularity. By considering phylogenetically diverse bacteria, the authors explore the evolutionary and ecological consequences of multicellular behaviour. Although bacteria frequently live as unicellular organisms, many spend at least part of their lives in complex communities, and some have adopted truly multicellular lifestyles and have abandoned unicellular growth. These transitions to multicellularity have occurred independently several times for various ecological reasons, resulting in a broad range of phenotypes. In this Review, we discuss the strategies that are used by bacteria to form and grow in multicellular structures that have hallmark features of multicellularity, including morphological differentiation, programmed cell death and patterning. In addition, we examine the evolutionary and ecological factors that lead to the wide range of coordinated multicellular behaviours that are observed in bacteria.
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ISSN:1740-1526
1740-1534
DOI:10.1038/nrmicro3178