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Antagonism as a foraging strategy in microbial communities.

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Title: Antagonism as a foraging strategy in microbial communities.
Authors: Stubbusch, Astrid K. M., Peaudecerf, François J., Lee, Kang Soo, Paoli, Lucas, Schwartzman, Julia, Stocker, Roman, Basler, Marek, Schubert, Olga T., Ackermann, Martin, Magnabosco, Cara, D'Souza, Glen G.
Source: Science. 6/12/2025, Vol. 388 Issue 6752, p1214-1217. 4p.
Subjects: Antibiosis, Microbial communities, Bacteriophages, Bacteria classification, Ecosystems
Abstract: In natural habitats, nutrient availability limits bacterial growth. We discovered that bacteria can overcome this limitation by acquiring nutrients by lysing neighboring cells through contact-dependent antagonism. Using single-cell live imaging and isotopic markers, we found that during starvation, the type VI secretion system (T6SS) lysed neighboring cells and thus provided nutrients from lysing cells for growth. Genomic adaptations in antagonists, characterized by a reduced metabolic gene repertoire, and the previously unexplored distribution of the T6SS across bacterial taxa in natural environments suggest that bacterial antagonism may contribute to nutrient transfer within microbial communities in many ecosystems. Editor's summary: Bacteria have evolved contact-dependent antagonism systems to lyse other bacteria by toxin delivery through the type 4 and type 6 secretion systems (T4SS and T6SS, respectively). These bacteriophage-like machines are primarily thought to be mechanisms for reducing interbacterial competition. Stubbusch et al. found that T6SS can also be used to "feed" after target cell killing (see the Perspective by Nadell and Marx). If one species was denied an easily available food source, it survived if another species was present that tolerated nutrient limiting conditions. Survival was contingent on having an intact T6SS that could be used to gain the essential nutrients from the slow lysis of the companion species. —Caroline Ash [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Antagonism as a foraging strategy in microbial communities.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Stubbusch%2C+Astrid+K%2E+M%2E%22">Stubbusch, Astrid K. M.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Peaudecerf%2C+François+J%2E%22">Peaudecerf, François J.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lee%2C+Kang+Soo%22">Lee, Kang Soo</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Paoli%2C+Lucas%22">Paoli, Lucas</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Schwartzman%2C+Julia%22">Schwartzman, Julia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Stocker%2C+Roman%22">Stocker, Roman</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Basler%2C+Marek%22">Basler, Marek</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Schubert%2C+Olga+T%2E%22">Schubert, Olga T.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ackermann%2C+Martin%22">Ackermann, Martin</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Magnabosco%2C+Cara%22">Magnabosco, Cara</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22D'Souza%2C+Glen+G%2E%22">D'Souza, Glen G.</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Science%22">Science</searchLink>. 6/12/2025, Vol. 388 Issue 6752, p1214-1217. 4p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Antibiosis%22">Antibiosis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Microbial+communities%22">Microbial communities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bacteriophages%22">Bacteriophages</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bacteria+classification%22">Bacteria classification</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ecosystems%22">Ecosystems</searchLink>
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  Data: In natural habitats, nutrient availability limits bacterial growth. We discovered that bacteria can overcome this limitation by acquiring nutrients by lysing neighboring cells through contact-dependent antagonism. Using single-cell live imaging and isotopic markers, we found that during starvation, the type VI secretion system (T6SS) lysed neighboring cells and thus provided nutrients from lysing cells for growth. Genomic adaptations in antagonists, characterized by a reduced metabolic gene repertoire, and the previously unexplored distribution of the T6SS across bacterial taxa in natural environments suggest that bacterial antagonism may contribute to nutrient transfer within microbial communities in many ecosystems. Editor's summary: Bacteria have evolved contact-dependent antagonism systems to lyse other bacteria by toxin delivery through the type 4 and type 6 secretion systems (T4SS and T6SS, respectively). These bacteriophage-like machines are primarily thought to be mechanisms for reducing interbacterial competition. Stubbusch et al. found that T6SS can also be used to "feed" after target cell killing (see the Perspective by Nadell and Marx). If one species was denied an easily available food source, it survived if another species was present that tolerated nutrient limiting conditions. Survival was contingent on having an intact T6SS that could be used to gain the essential nutrients from the slow lysis of the companion species. —Caroline Ash [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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