Swarming

Swarming motility is defined as a rapid multicellular movement of bacteria across a surface, powered by rotating flagella PubMed. Laboratory strains of Bacillus subtilis do not exhibit swarming motility PubMed.

Parent categories	4. Lifestyles 4.1. Exponential and early post-exponential lifestyles
Neighbouring categories	4.1.1. Motility and chemotaxis 4.1.2. Swarming 4.1.3. Sliding 4.1.4. Biofilm formation 4.1.5. Genetic competence
Related categories	SinR regulon
Overview on the categories (Excel file) All genes and their categories (Excel file)

Labs working on swarming

• Daniel Kearns
• Roberto Kolter
• Richard Losick
• Sonia Senesi
• Cinzia Calvio
• Michal Obuchowski

Key genes and operons involved in swarming

• required for swarming
  • SrfAA
  • SrfAB
  • SrfAC
  • SrfAD
  • hag
  • cheA
  • cheY
  • efp
  • swrA
  • swrB
  • ylxH

• regulation
  • SlrR
  • SlrA
  • SinR

Important original publications

Hannah Jeckel, Eric Jelli, Raimo Hartmann, Praveen K Singh, Rachel Mok, Jan Frederik Totz, Lucia Vidakovic, Bruno Eckhardt, Jörn Dunkel, Knut Drescher
Learning the space-time phase diagram of bacterial swarm expansion.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A: 2019, 116(5);1489-1494
[PubMed:30635422] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Polonca Stefanic, Barbara Kraigher, Nicholas Anthony Lyons, Roberto Kolter, Ines Mandic-Mulec
Kin discrimination between sympatric Bacillus subtilis isolates.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A: 2015, 112(45);14042-7
[PubMed:26438858] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Jia Mun Chan, Sarah B Guttenplan, Daniel B Kearns
Defects in the flagellar motor increase synthesis of poly-γ-glutamate in Bacillus subtilis.
J Bacteriol: 2014, 196(4);740-53
[PubMed:24296669] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Xiaohui Gao, Sampriti Mukherjee, Paige M Matthews, Loubna A Hammad, Daniel B Kearns, Charles E Dann
Functional characterization of core components of the Bacillus subtilis cyclic-di-GMP signaling pathway.
J Bacteriol: 2013, 195(21);4782-92
[PubMed:23893111] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Sarah B Guttenplan, Sidney Shaw, Daniel B Kearns
The cell biology of peritrichous flagella in Bacillus subtilis.
Mol Microbiol: 2013, 87(1);211-29
[PubMed:23190039] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Joyce E Patrick, Daniel B Kearns
Laboratory strains of Bacillus subtilis do not exhibit swarming motility.
J Bacteriol: 2009, 191(22);7129-33
[PubMed:19749039] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Rui Chen, Sarah B Guttenplan, Kris M Blair, Daniel B Kearns
Role of the sigmaD-dependent autolysins in Bacillus subtilis population heterogeneity.
J Bacteriol: 2009, 191(18);5775-84
[PubMed:19542270] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Kris M Blair, Linda Turner, Jared T Winkelman, Howard C Berg, Daniel B Kearns
A molecular clutch disables flagella in the Bacillus subtilis biofilm.
Science: 2008, 320(5883);1636-8
[PubMed:18566286] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Daniel B Kearns, Richard Losick
Cell population heterogeneity during growth of Bacillus subtilis.
Genes Dev: 2005, 19(24);3083-94
[PubMed:16357223] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Cinzia Calvio, Francesco Celandroni, Emilia Ghelardi, Giuseppe Amati, Sara Salvetti, Fabrizio Ceciliani, Alessandro Galizzi, Sonia Senesi
Swarming differentiation and swimming motility in Bacillus subtilis are controlled by swrA, a newly identified dicistronic operon.
J Bacteriol: 2005, 187(15);5356-66
[PubMed:16030230] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Daniel B Kearns, Frances Chu, Rivka Rudner, Richard Losick
Genes governing swarming in Bacillus subtilis and evidence for a phase variation mechanism controlling surface motility.
Mol Microbiol: 2004, 52(2);357-69
[PubMed:15066026] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Daniel B Kearns, Richard Losick
Swarming motility in undomesticated Bacillus subtilis.
Mol Microbiol: 2003, 49(3);581-90
[PubMed:12864845] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Key reviews

Joyce E Patrick, Daniel B Kearns
Swarming motility and the control of master regulators of flagellar biosynthesis.
Mol Microbiol: 2012, 83(1);14-23
[PubMed:22092493] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Daniel B Kearns
A field guide to bacterial swarming motility.
Nat Rev Microbiol: 2010, 8(9);634-44
[PubMed:20694026] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)