Fig. 2: B. subtilis can transport spores via swarming and sliding.
From: Microbial hitchhiking: how Streptomyces spores are transported by motile soil bacteria
A The WT (swarming strain) can transport spores on agar plates (0.27–0.5%) (n = 13), but swimming only strains (laboratory-cultivated WT strain or ΔepsH srfAA) cannot (0.25–0.3% agar) (n = 6 and n = 8, respectively). Quantification of the results is shown in Fig. S2. B A Bs ΔmotAB strain that possesses flagella but lacks flagellar motility can disperse spores via sliding at WT levels (n = 6). A Bs Δhag strain that does not possess flagella cannot disperse the spores via sliding at WT levels (n = 6). Quantification of results is shown in Fig. S2. All Δhag plates are shown in Fig. S3. C In summation, spores are dispersed by swarming (WT) and sliding (ΔmotAB) Bs cells in a flagella-dependent manner. However, spores are not dispersed via swimming (lab-cultivated or ΔepsH srfAA), and are significantly less dispersed via sliding in the absence of flagella (Δhag).
