Micropredators are a significant selective force driving the evolution of bacteria including human pathogens. Virulence factors and antibiotic resistance may have originated as a stress response mechanism for avoiding predators. Myxococcus xanthus is a micropredator for a wide variety of bacteria including clinically relevant human pathogens. We have tested the predatory ability of a laboratory reference strain of M. xanthus DK1622 against P. aeruginosa strain PAO1. We have found that live cells persist despite predation. The present study employs multi-sample time-lapse confocal microscopy to provide a clearer picture of this unique resistance response. Mixed cell assays showed statistically significant rejection of live prey and an increase in dead prey at the cellular level. Timelapse videos showed that ripple formation is inhibited at 48 hours. “Fold” deficient P. aeruginosa PAO1 strains clarified that M. xanthus is responsible for the appearance of the fold by showing complete blockage of M. xanthus motility after 48hr. Z-stacks revealed P. aeruginosa PAO1, and subtypes impede M. xanthus motility and form layers of M. xanthus atop P. aeruginosa PAO1 with smaller waves embedded in the prey spot at the site of the “fold”.
","abstract_html":"<p>Micropredators are a significant selective force driving the evolution of bacteria including human pathogens. Virulence factors and antibiotic resistance may have originated as a stress response mechanism for avoiding predators. <em>Myxococcus xanthus</em> is a micropredator for a wide variety of bacteria including clinically relevant human pathogens. We have tested the predatory ability of a laboratory reference strain of <em>M. xanthus </em>DK1622 against <em>P. aeruginosa </em>strain PAO1. We have found that live cells persist despite predation. The present study employs multi-sample time-lapse confocal microscopy to provide a clearer picture of this unique resistance response. Mixed cell assays showed statistically significant rejection of live prey and an increase in dead prey at the cellular level. Timelapse videos showed that ripple formation is inhibited at 48 hours. “Fold” deficient <em>P. aeruginosa</em> PAO1 strains clarified that <em>M. xanthus</em> is responsible for the appearance of the fold by showing complete blockage of <em>M. xanthus </em>motility after 48hr. Z-stacks revealed <em>P. aeruginosa</em> PAO1, and subtypes impede <em>M. xanthus</em> motility and form layers of <em>M. xanthus </em>atop <em>P. aeruginosa</em> PAO1 with smaller waves embedded in the prey spot at the site of the “fold”.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wilson, Sarah Joie"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Ramya Rajagopalan","Dr. Anton Bryantsev","Dr. Melanie Griffin"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-07-31T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-07-31T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:44:06Z","subjects":["Myxococcus xanthus","Pseudomonas aeruginosa","Micropredation","Confocal Microscopy","Fluorescence Microscopy","Biology","Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology","Integrative Biology","Microbiology","Other Microbiology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/107","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Ramya Rajagopalan","Dr. Anton Bryantsev","Dr. Melanie Griffin"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wilson, Sarah Joie"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2028-07-29T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Myxococcus xanthus","Pseudomonas aeruginosa","Micropredation","Confocal Microscopy","Fluorescence Microscopy","Biology","Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology","Integrative Biology","Microbiology","Other Microbiology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/107"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Micropredators are a significant selective force driving the evolution of bacteria including human pathogens. Virulence factors and antibiotic resistance may have originated as a stress response mechanism for avoiding predators. Myxococcus xanthus is a micropredator for a wide variety of bacteria including clinically relevant human pathogens. We have tested the predatory ability of a laboratory reference strain of M. xanthus DK1622 against P. aeruginosa strain PAO1. We have found that live cells persist despite predation. The present study employs multi-sample time-lapse confocal microscopy to provide a clearer picture of this unique resistance response. Mixed cell assays showed statistically significant rejection of live prey and an increase in dead prey at the cellular level. Timelapse videos showed that ripple formation is inhibited at 48 hours. “Fold” deficient P. aeruginosa PAO1 strains clarified that M. xanthus is responsible for the appearance of the fold by showing complete blockage of M. xanthus motility after 48hr. Z-stacks revealed P. aeruginosa PAO1, and subtypes impede M. xanthus motility and form layers of M. xanthus atop P. aeruginosa PAO1 with smaller waves embedded in the prey spot at the site of the “fold”.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Resistance Responses in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 in Response to Surface Predation by Myxococcus xanthus DK1622"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Ramya Rajagopalan","Dr. Anton Bryantsev","Dr. Melanie Griffin"],"dc:creator":["Wilson, Sarah Joie"],"dc:date.available":["2028-07-29T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Micropredators are a significant selective force driving the evolution of bacteria including human pathogens. Virulence factors and antibiotic resistance may have originated as a stress response mechanism for avoiding predators. Myxococcus xanthus is a micropredator for a wide variety of bacteria including clinically relevant human pathogens. We have tested the predatory ability of a laboratory reference strain of M. xanthus DK1622 against P. aeruginosa strain PAO1. We have found that live cells persist despite predation. The present study employs multi-sample time-lapse confocal microscopy to provide a clearer picture of this unique resistance response. Mixed cell assays showed statistically significant rejection of live prey and an increase in dead prey at the cellular level. Timelapse videos showed that ripple formation is inhibited at 48 hours. “Fold” deficient P. aeruginosa PAO1 strains clarified that M. xanthus is responsible for the appearance of the fold by showing complete blockage of M. xanthus motility after 48hr. Z-stacks revealed P. aeruginosa PAO1, and subtypes impede M. xanthus motility and form layers of M. xanthus atop P. aeruginosa PAO1 with smaller waves embedded in the prey spot at the site of the “fold”.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/107"],"dc:subject":["Myxococcus xanthus","Pseudomonas aeruginosa","Micropredation","Confocal Microscopy","Fluorescence Microscopy","Biology","Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology","Integrative Biology","Microbiology","Other Microbiology"],"dc:title":["Resistance Responses in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 in Response to Surface Predation by Myxococcus xanthus DK1622"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:44:06Z"}