Metabolic cross-feeding via intercellular nanotubes among bacteria

Samay Pande, Shraddha Shitut, Lisa Freund, Martin Westermann, Felix Bertels, Claudia Colesie, Ilka B. Bischofs and Christian Kost ()
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Samay Pande: Experimental Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Shraddha Shitut: Experimental Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Lisa Freund: Experimental Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Martin Westermann: Centre for Electron Microscopy, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
Felix Bertels: Experimental Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Claudia Colesie: University of Kaiserslautern
Ilka B. Bischofs: Bacterial Signalling Networks Research Group, Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH)
Christian Kost: Experimental Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Bacteria frequently exchange metabolites by diffusion through the extracellular environment, yet it remains generally unclear whether bacteria can also use cell–cell connections to directly exchange nutrients. Here we address this question by engineering cross-feeding interactions within and between Acinetobacter baylyi and Escherichia coli, in which two distant bacterial species reciprocally exchange essential amino acids. We establish that in a well-mixed environment E. coli, but likely not A. baylyi, can connect to other bacterial cells via membrane-derived nanotubes and use these to exchange cytoplasmic constituents. Intercellular connections are induced by auxotrophy-causing mutations and cease to establish when amino acids are externally supplied. Electron and fluorescence microscopy reveal a network of nanotubular structures that connects bacterial cells and enables an intercellular transfer of cytoplasmic materials. Together, our results demonstrate that bacteria can use nanotubes to exchange nutrients among connected cells and thus help to distribute metabolic functions within microbial communities.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7238

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