Abstract
Combining high-resolution single cell tracking experiments with numerical simulations, we show that starvation-induced fruiting body formation in Myxococcus xanthus is a phase separation driven by cells that tune their motility over time. The phase separation can be understood in terms of cell density and a dimensionless Péclet number that captures cell motility through speed and reversal frequency. Our work suggests that M. xanthus takes advantage of a self-driven nonequilibrium phase transition that can be controlled at the single cell level.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 248102 |
Journal | Physical review letters |
Volume | 122 |
Issue number | 24 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 20 2019 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Physics and Astronomy