Self-Driven Phase Transitions Drive Myxococcus xanthus Fruiting Body Formation.
| Title | Self-Driven Phase Transitions Drive Myxococcus xanthus Fruiting Body Formation. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2019 |
| Authors | Liu G, Patch A, Bahar F, Yllanes D, Welch RD, M Marchetti C, Thutupalli S, Shaevitz JW |
| Journal | Phys Rev Lett |
| Volume | 122 |
| Issue | 24 |
| Pagination | 248102 |
| Date Published | 2019 Jun 21 |
| ISSN | 1079-7114 |
| Keywords | Cell Movement, Myxococcus xanthus, Phase Transition |
| Abstract | Combining high-resolution single cell tracking experiments with numerical simulations, we show that starvation-induced fruiting body formation in Myxococcus xanthus is a phase separation driven by cells that tune their motility over time. The phase separation can be understood in terms of cell density and a dimensionless Péclet number that captures cell motility through speed and reversal frequency. Our work suggests that M. xanthus takes advantage of a self-driven nonequilibrium phase transition that can be controlled at the single cell level. |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.248102 |
| Alternate Journal | Phys. Rev. Lett. |
| PubMed ID | 31322369 |