Bacteria have evolved a wide range of mechanisms to harm and kill their competitors,
including chemical, mechanical and biological weapons. Here we review the incredible …

BACKGROUND Microbial communities are ubiquitous on Earth. The microbiota of different
habitats are diverse and have distinct functional traits, but there are common ecological …

Myxobacteria are ubiquitous in soil environments. They display a complex life cycle:
vegetatively growing cells coordinate their motility to form multicellular swarms, which upon …

The study of bacteria interacting with their environment has historically centered on
strategies for obtaining nutrients and resisting abiotic stresses. We argue this focus has …

The type VII protein secretion system (T7SS) of Staphylococcus aureus is encoded at the
ess locus. T7 substrate recognition and protein transport are mediated by EssC, a …

Myxococcus xanthus, a soil bacterium, predates collectively using motility to invade prey
colonies. Prey lysis is mostly thought to rely on secreted factors, cocktails of antibiotics and …

All bacteria must compete for growth niches and other limited environmental resources.
These existential battles are waged at several levels, but one common strategy entails the …

Biofilms are multispecies communities, in which bacteria constantly compete with one
another for resources and niches. Bacteria produce many antibiotics and toxins for …

The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in health, particularly in promoting intestinal
metabolic capacity and in maturing the immune system. The intestinal microbiota also …

All living cells sense and respond to changes in external or internal conditions. Without that
cognitive capacity, they could not obtain nutrition essential for growth, survive inevitable …