Discovering a Unique Type of Bacterial Multicellularity with Dr. Mizuno

In this fascinating episode, we're joined by Dr. Mizuno, an expert in microbiology and biodiversity, who shares his recent discovery of a unique multicellular bacterium.Dr. Mizuno and his team identified a bacterium, HS-3, from an underground stream, demonstrating an entirely new type of prokaryotic multicellularity. The bacterium self-organizes its filamentous cells into layer-structured colonies, exhibiting properties similar to a nematic liquid crystal.The research team observed that these colonies mature into a semi-closed sphere containing clusters of coccobacillus daughter cells. Interestingly, the release of these cells is selective and happens upon contact with water.This groundbreaking discovery challenges our understanding of bacterial multicellularity and indicates that a liquid-crystal status can support prokaryotic multicellular behavior. Dr. Mizuno further delves into the ecological context of this phenomenon. He hypothesizes that the cyclic exposure of these colonies to the cave's water flow might have driven the evolutionary transition from unicellular to multicellular life forms.The findings, while preliminary, have exciting implications for a wide range of scientific disciplines, including microbiology, evolutionary biology, geobiology, and biophysics. Join us for this fascinating conversation as we explore the ecological contexts that foster multicellularity and the intriguing world of bacterial life with Dr. Mizuno.Key Words: Multicellularity, Bacterial Life, Prokaryotes, Microbiology, Ecology, Evolution, Biophysics, Geobiology, HS-3 Bacterium, Liquid Crystal, Coccobacillus Daughter Cells.Kouhei Mizuno et al. (2022) Novel multicellular prokaryote discovered next to an underground stream eLife 11:e71920 https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.71920