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-Structure paper
Title | Marine tubeworm metamorphosis induced by arrays of bacterial phage tail-like structures. |
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Journal, issue, pages | Science, Vol. 343, Issue 6170, Page 529-533, Year 2014 |
Publish date | Jan 31, 2014 |
Authors | Nicholas J Shikuma / Martin Pilhofer / Gregor L Weiss / Michael G Hadfield / Grant J Jensen / Dianne K Newman / |
PubMed Abstract | Many benthic marine animal populations are established and maintained by free-swimming larvae that recognize cues from surface-bound bacteria to settle and metamorphose. Larvae of the tubeworm ...Many benthic marine animal populations are established and maintained by free-swimming larvae that recognize cues from surface-bound bacteria to settle and metamorphose. Larvae of the tubeworm Hydroides elegans, an important biofouling agent, require contact with surface-bound bacteria to undergo metamorphosis; however, the mechanisms that underpin this microbially mediated developmental transition have been enigmatic. Here, we show that a marine bacterium, Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea, produces arrays of phage tail-like structures that trigger metamorphosis of H. elegans. These arrays comprise about 100 contractile structures with outward-facing baseplates, linked by tail fibers and a dynamic hexagonal net. Not only do these arrays suggest a novel form of bacterium-animal interaction, they provide an entry point to understanding how marine biofilms can trigger animal development. |
External links | Science / PubMed:24407482 / PubMed Central |
Methods | EM (subtomogram averaging) |
Structure data | EMDB-2543: EMDB-2544: EMDB-2545: |
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