Bacterial lipopolysaccharide induces settlement and metamorphosis in a marine larva
Abstract
New surfaces in the sea are quickly populated by dense communities of invertebrate animals, whose establishment and maintenance require site-specific settlement of larvae from the plankton. Larvae selectively settle in sites where they can metamorphose and thrive largely due to inductive cues from bacteria residing on these surfaces. However, the nature of the cues used to identify “right places” has remained enigmatic. Here, we demonstrate that lipopolysaccharide, the main component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria from the bacterium Cellulophaga lytica , induces metamorphosis for a marine worm. We then discuss the likelihood that lipopolysaccharide provides the variation necessary to explain settlement site selectivity for many of the bottom-living invertebrate animals that metamorphose in response to bacterial biofilms.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 25, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.2200795119
Entities
People
- Brian T Nedved
- Helen Turano
- Marnie L Freckelton
- Michael Hadfield
- Rosanna A. Alegado
- Shugeng Cao
- You-sheng Cai
Organizations
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- Office of Naval Research Global
- University of Hawaiʻi System
- University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
- Wuhan University