Recent advances in the social and developmental biology of the myxobacteria.

INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................................................71 MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY.....................................................................................................................................71 SIGNALING ..................................................................................................................................................................71 A Signal ......................................................................................................................................................................71 B Signal ......................................................................................................................................................................74 C Signal......................................................................................................................................................................74 D Signal......................................................................................................................................................................75 E Signal ......................................................................................................................................................................75 Summary of Signaling..............................................................................................................................................76 OTHER EXTRACELLULAR DEVELOPMENTAL FACTORS .............................................................................76 Glucosamine, Phospholipase, Glycerol, and Autocides .......................................................................................76 INITIATION SIGNAL..................................................................................................................................................77 EXTRACELLULAR APPENDAGES ..........................................................................................................................77 Pili...............................................................................................................................................................................77 Fibrils .........................................................................................................................................................................77 FRUITING BODY FORMATION ..............................................................................................................................79 Cell Density ...............................................................................................................................................................79 Role of Motility .........................................................................................................................................................79 Aggregation ................................................................................................................................................................80 Peripheral Cells ........................................................................................................................................................80 Fruiting Body Morphogenesis.................................................................................................................................81 DEVELOPMENTAL AUTOLYSIS .............................................................................................................................82 TACTIC BEHAVIOR....................................................................................................................................................83 Chemotaxis ................................................................................................................................................................83 Tactic Perception of Physical Objects....................................................................................................................85 MOLECULAR BIOLOGY ...........................................................................................................................................85 RETRONS......................................................................................................................................................................86 PHASE VARIATION ....................................................................................................................................................86 REGULATION AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION...................................................................................................88 Transcriptional Regulation......................................................................................................................................88 Regulatory Sites ........................................................................................................................................................89 Sigma Factors and Protein Kinases.......................................................................................................................90 RIPPLING .....................................................................................................................................................................90 MOTILITY.....................................................................................................................................................................91 CAROTENOIDS AND LIGHT....................................................................................................................................93 PROTEIN SECRETION ..............................................................................................................................................93 ANTIBIOTICS...............................................................................................................................................................95 MYXOSPORE MORPHOGENESIS ..........................................................................................................................96 GLYCEROL SPORES..................................................................................................................................................96 TERRITORIALITY.......................................................................................................................................................96 MATHEMATICAL MODELING................................................................................................................................97 MYXOSPORE GERMINATION ................................................................................................................................97 STIGMATELLA AURANTIACA ...................................................................................................................................97 EUKARYOTE-LIKE PROPERTIES OF MYXOBACTERIA..................................................................................97 EPILOGUE....................................................................................................................................................................98 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................................................98 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................................................98