Bacterial development articles from across Nature Portfolio

Bacteria can use extracellular contractile injection systems (eCISs) to inject toxic proteins into eukaryotic cells. Here, Vladimirov et al. provide evidence that the main role of eCISs in Streptomyces is not to attack other species, but to modulate the complex Streptomyces developmental process.

A screen for germination of Clostridium novyi-NT spores reveals that germinant sensing of this tumor-destructive anaerobic bacterium is stereoflexible for valine and its analogs and identifies co-germinants to improve germination efficacy in tumors.

The polarization of distinct scaffold-signaling hubs at opposite cell poles constitutes the basis of asymmetric cell division. Here, the authors show that phase separation serves as a general mechanism to regulate the assembly and dynamics of a new-pole scaffold-signaling hub.

c-di-GMP has emerged as the signal controlling development in antibiotic producing Streptomyces. Here the authors describe another developmental role of c-di-GMP, in energy metabolism, by activating the glycogen-debranchingenzyme, GlgX. Structures revealing the activation mechanism are described.

In situ cryo-ET imaging and live-cell fluorescence microscopy reveal that septal peptidoglycan architecture and divisome activity modulate bacterial morphogenesis in Escherichia coli.

Studying microorganisms at high temperatures is challenging on conventional optical microscopes. Here, the authors introduce the concept of microscale laser heating over the full field of view by using gold nanoparticles as light absorbers, and study thermophile species up to 80 °C.