• Fruiting myxobacteria owns wide and complex biological varieties among species.  

                 

 - Family of Myxococcaceae.

       The fruiting bodies produced are simple cushions with slightly branching columns that have little protective slime. 

               

 - Family of Archangiaceae

       Long flexuous vegetative cells reduce in length but remain to still being rods. These rods are encompassed in tubules of slime                     rich are confined by other slime, forming an irregular cushion-shaped fruiting body.

                   

- Family of Sorangiaceae/Polyangjaceae

      The formation of the fruiting bodies are clusters of small and round structure enclosed in sacs called sporangia, frequently polygonal           in shape.

               

- Family of Cystobacteraceae

      Fruiting body without stalk.

 

• Myxococcus xanthus is selected species that has been most thoroughly studied in order to generally demonstrate the biological properties of the group.

 

 

 

 

 

                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                          

 

 

                                                         

                                                          Schematic illustration of the life cycle of Myxococcus xanthus.                                                                                                                                                               (Martinko & Clark, 2009)

 

 

 GROWTH PHASE

 

- Individual vegetative cells grow best in adequate nutrient environment.

 

- prone to live in a colony to maximize amount of bacteriolytic peptidoglycan-degrading enzymes to kill living cells and lysozyme to lyse     dead cells.

 

- Some of them release cellulolytic enzymes for polysaccharides degradation besides strive on macromolecules compounds such as           proteins and amino acids.

 

 

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE

                       

- When nutrients depleted, vegetative swarm shifts their growth process into development of fruiting body.

 

- Vegetative cells start to migrate to each other to form mound of cells.

 

- As the mass of mounds getting higher, the cells start to develop fruiting structures.

 

- Followed by differentiation of fruiting bodies into stalk and head.

 

- During the developmental process, cells undergo morphogenesis into spherical resting cells called myxospore that are nestled in the         multicellular fruiting body.

 

- Cells to become dormant and resistance to desiccation that includes extreme unfavourable condition eg. drought, heat, UV radiation,          and sonic radiation.

 

- Myxobacteria can form larger and more complex fruiting structures called sporangium that has capable of accumulating hundreds of         myxospores.

           

                       

 GROWTH PHASE

                   

-Again of favourable nutritional and physical condition for growth, myxospore appears to germinate.

 

                   

- Fruiting body ruptures followed by simultaneous motile vegetative cells emergence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                   

 

 

 

 

 

 Microscopic video of formation of Myxobacteria fruiting body (NatureSu, 2008)