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Updated: Feb 24, 2026

Using Coculture to Detect Chemically Mediated Interspecies Interactions

Using Coculture to Detect Chemically Mediated Interspecies Interactions

Published on: October 31, 2013

Interspecies nutrient extraction and toxin delivery between bacteria.

Ofer Stempler¹, Amit K Baidya¹, Saurabh Bhattacharya¹

¹Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, POB 12272, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120, Jerusalem, Israel.

Nature Communications

|August 23, 2017

Summary

Bacillus subtilis kills Bacillus megaterium using the WapA toxin and extracts nutrients via nanotubes. This nanotube system facilitates both toxin delivery and nutrient acquisition, enhancing bacterial survival.

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Bacterial interactions
Cell-to-cell communication

Background:

Bacteria compete for resources and survival.
Interbacterial communication and warfare are crucial for ecological dynamics.
Nanotubes facilitate nutrient and macromolecule exchange between bacterial cells.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the mechanisms by which Bacillus subtilis interacts with and preys upon Bacillus megaterium.
To elucidate the role of nanotubes in interbacterial antagonism and nutrient acquisition.
To identify the specific molecules and pathways involved in this predatory interaction.

Main Methods:

Growth inhibition assays to assess the impact of Bacillus subtilis on Bacillus megaterium.
Utilizing L-azidohomoalanine as a nutrient reporter to track nutrient transfer.
Investigating the role of the phosphodiesterase YmdB and its involvement in nanotube formation.
Microscopic analysis to detect toxin localization to nanotubes.

Main Results:

Bacillus subtilis rapidly inhibits Bacillus megaterium growth by delivering the tRNase toxin WapA.
Evidence of nutrient extraction from Bacillus megaterium by Bacillus subtilis was observed.
Toxin delivery and nutrient extraction are contact-dependent and mediated by YmdB-dependent nanotubes.
WapA molecules were localized to nanotubes, indicating their role in toxin transport.

Conclusions:

Bacillus subtilis employs a nanotube-based system for both delivering toxins and acquiring nutrients from Bacillus megaterium.
The YmdB-mediated nanotube apparatus is utilized bidirectionally for maximal resource exploitation.
This study reveals a novel mechanism of bacterial predation and resource acquisition.