{
  "abstract": "Molecular and cell–cell interactions can shape collective behaviour across scales, from microbial communities to animal populations, but the fundamental rules that govern these transitions remain poorly understood. Myxococcus xanthus, a bacterial predator, can produce very large multicellular patterns, transitioning from swarming to rippling because of changes in the local environment within and around prey colonies. Here we show that this transition can be explained by two simple properties—local cellular alignment induced by an extracellular matrix and the ability of cells to resolve congestion by reversing. Our high-resolution microscopy and theoretical analysis demonstrate that a tunable refractory period in the reversal control system enables a wide range of collective adaptations, allowing cells to synchronize during rippling and relieve congestion during swarming. Our models suggest that these transitions can occur without genetic regulation changes and result in stable spatial domains that facilitate local differentiation.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Jean-Baptiste Saulnier"
    },
    {
      "name": "Michèle Romanos"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jonathan Schrohe"
    },
    {
      "name": "Clémence Cuzin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Vincent Calvez"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tâm Mignot"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cwebawsmat8yw.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41567-026-03416-y",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "cwebawsmat8yw",
  "issns": [
    "1745-2473",
    "1745-2481"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-04760798v2",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
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      "openalex",
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  "openalex": "W7213245054",
  "pdf_url": "https://hal.science/hal-04760798/document",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-15",
  "publisher": "Nature Publishing Group [2005-....]",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cwebawsmat8yw.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:37Z",
      "native_id": "hal-04760798",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-04760798v2"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:50Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05782779",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05782779v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "hal:1.sdv.bc",
      "subfield": "cell-biology"
    },
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "hal:1.sdv.mp",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    },
    {
      "field": "mathematics",
      "origin": "hal:0.math",
      "subfield": "general"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "hal:2.phys.phys.phys-bio-ph",
      "subfield": "biological-medical"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Mechanisms of spatial pattern transition in motile bacterial collectives",
  "title_text": "Mechanisms of spatial pattern transition in motile bacterial collectives",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:50Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cwebawsmat8yw",
  "venue": "Nature Physics",
  "versions": []
}