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Novel multicellular prokaryote discovered next to an underground stream
Kouhei Mizuno1,2, Mais Maree3, Toshihiko Nagamura2
1Division of International Affairs, Headquaters, National Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.
Elife
|October 11, 2022
Summary
Researchers discovered a new bacterium, HS-3, that forms liquid-crystal colonies and releases daughter cells in water. This finding offers a model for how ecological factors may drive the evolution of bacterial multicellularity.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biophysics
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Prokaryotic multicellularity arises through diverse mechanisms and ecological contexts.
- Understanding the evolutionary drivers of multicellularity is a key biological question.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report a novel bacterium, HS-3, exhibiting unique multicellular behavior.
- To investigate the role of liquid-crystal properties in prokaryotic multicellularity.
- To propose an ecological model for the emergence of multicellular life.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and characterization of bacterium HS-3 from an underground stream.
- Microscopic observation of colony self-organization and cell release.
- Analysis of colony structure and liquid-crystal properties.
Main Results:
- HS-3 forms filamentous cells that self-organize into liquid-crystal layer-structured colonies.
- Mature colonies form spheres that selectively release daughter cells upon water contact.
- This is the first demonstration of liquid-crystal cell states supporting prokaryotic multicellularity.
Conclusions:
- The liquid-crystal nature of HS-3 colonies facilitates its multicellular behavior and reproduction strategy.
- Intermittent water flow in cave environments may have selected for the evolution of multicellularity in HS-3.
- HS-3 provides a new extant model for studying the ecological role in the origin of multicellularity.
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