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The Genetic Basis of Microbial Sociality
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The Genetic Basis of Microbial Sociality

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2023) | Viewed by 3535

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sébastien Wielgoss

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
Interests: social evolution; experimental evolution; biogeography; microbial ecology; population genetics; phylogenetics; genomics; molecular genetics; phage–host coevolution; microbial immunity
Dr. Samay Pande

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), 560012 Bangalore, India
Interests: experimental evolution; microbial ecology; microbial genetics; population biology; antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial strategies; bacterial predation; major evolutionary transitions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganisms, including bacteria, are often thought of as solitary organisms; however, they generally live in groups and often have sophisticated social lives. Examples of sociomicrobial conflict and cooperation include the rapid evolution of cheaters in clonal groups of iron-scavenging Pseudomonas strains and the spectacular multicellular structures produced by group-coordinated development in myxobacteria and Dictyostelium slime molds.

With this Special Issue, we aim to highlight recent experimental, genomic and computational research efforts focusing on microbial sociality in both population and community contexts, that is, the microbial social interactome. By default, we describe sociality as a trait that can influence the fitness of interacting, conspecific individuals. This, therefore, encompasses both synergistic and antagonistic interactions between individual cells and includes the evolution and maintenance of altruistic and mutualistic behavior.

Invited papers can be original work as well as summary reviews designed to demonstrate why and how both abiotic and biotic environments matter for social evolution in the microbial world. We especially welcome studies on social interaction traits and genotypes within the following scopes: 

  • ecological and evolutionary research at population and species levels; 
  • coevolution in experimental and ecological communities of varying complexity, especially with a focus on predator–prey and parasite–host interactions;
  • molecular work disentangling the molecular underpinnings of social traits;
  • mathematical modeling approaches studying the factors that influence the social interactome.

Dr. Sébastien Wielgoss
Dr. Samay Pande
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • the microbial social interactome
  • evolutionary
  • population
  • predator–prey interactions
  • parasite–host interactions
  • mathematical modeling approaches

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1850 KiB  
Article
Ribonuclease D Processes a Small RNA Regulator of Multicellular Development in Myxobacteria
by Sarah M. Cossey, Gregory J. Velicer and Yuen-Tsu Nicco Yu
Genes 2023, 14(5), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14051061 - 09 May 2023
Viewed by 1431
Abstract
By targeting mRNA transcripts, non-coding small RNAs (sRNAs) regulate the expression of genes governing a wide range of bacterial functions. In the social myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus, the sRNA Pxr serves as a gatekeeper of the regulatory pathway controlling the life-cycle transition from [...] Read more.
By targeting mRNA transcripts, non-coding small RNAs (sRNAs) regulate the expression of genes governing a wide range of bacterial functions. In the social myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus, the sRNA Pxr serves as a gatekeeper of the regulatory pathway controlling the life-cycle transition from vegetative growth to multicellular fruiting body development. When nutrients are abundant, Pxr prevents the initiation of the developmental program, but Pxr-mediated inhibition is alleviated when cells starve. To identify genes essential for Pxr function, a developmentally defective strain in which Pxr-mediated blockage of development is constitutively active (strain “OC”) was transposon-mutagenized to identify suppressor mutations that inactivate or bypass Pxr inhibition and thereby restore development. One of the four loci in which a transposon insertion restored development is rnd, encoding the Ribonuclease D protein (RNase D). RNase D is an exonuclease important for tRNA maturation. Here, we show that disruption of rnd abolishes the accumulation of Pxr-S, the product of Pxr processing from a longer precursor form (Pxr-L) and the active inhibitor of development. Additionally, the decrease in Pxr-S caused by rnd disruption was associated with increased accumulation primarily of a longer novel Pxr-specific transcript (Pxr-XL) rather than of Pxr-L. The introduction of a plasmid expressing rnd reverted cells back to OC-like phenotypes in development and Pxr accumulation, indicating that a lack of RNase D alone suppresses the developmental defect of OC. Moreover, an in vitro Pxr-processing assay demonstrated that RNase D processes Pxr-XL into Pxr-L; this implies that overall, Pxr sRNA maturation requires a sequential two-step processing. Collectively, our results indicate that a housekeeping ribonuclease plays a central role in a model form of microbial aggregative development. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence implicating RNase D in sRNA processing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Genetic Basis of Microbial Sociality)
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Review

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12 pages, 1750 KiB  
Review
Social Diversification Driven by Mobile Genetic Elements
by Michael L. Weltzer and Daniel Wall
Genes 2023, 14(3), 648; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14030648 - 04 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1822
Abstract
Social diversification in microbes is an evolutionary process where lineages bifurcate into distinct populations that cooperate with themselves but not with other groups. In bacteria, this is frequently driven by horizontal transfer of mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Here, the resulting acquisition of new [...] Read more.
Social diversification in microbes is an evolutionary process where lineages bifurcate into distinct populations that cooperate with themselves but not with other groups. In bacteria, this is frequently driven by horizontal transfer of mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Here, the resulting acquisition of new genes changes the recipient’s social traits and consequently how they interact with kin. These changes include discriminating behaviors mediated by newly acquired effectors. Since the producing cell is protected by cognate immunity factors, these selfish elements benefit from selective discrimination against recent ancestors, thus facilitating their proliferation and benefiting the host. Whether social diversification benefits the population at large is less obvious. The widespread use of next-generation sequencing has recently provided new insights into population dynamics in natural habitats and the roles MGEs play. MGEs belong to accessory genomes, which often constitute the majority of the pangenome of a taxon, and contain most of the kin-discriminating loci that fuel rapid social diversification. We further discuss mechanisms of diversification and its consequences to populations and conclude with a case study involving myxobacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Genetic Basis of Microbial Sociality)
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