Mechanisms of spatial pattern transition in motile bacterial collectives
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.
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BibTeX
@article{saulnier2026mechanisms,
title = {{Mechanisms of spatial pattern transition in motile bacterial collectives}},
author = {Jean-Baptiste Saulnier and Michèle Romanos and Jonathan Schrohe and Clémence Cuzin and Vincent Calvez and Tâm Mignot},
journal = {Nature Physics},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1038/s41567-026-03416-y},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-04760798v2},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mechanisms of spatial pattern transition in motile bacterial collectives
AU - Jean-Baptiste Saulnier
AU - Michèle Romanos
AU - Jonathan Schrohe
AU - Clémence Cuzin
AU - Vincent Calvez
AU - Tâm Mignot
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/15
JO - Nature Physics
DO - 10.1038/s41567-026-03416-y
UR - https://hal.science/hal-04760798v2
AB - 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.
SN - 1745-2473
SN - 1745-2481
ER -