Modelling pattern formation in Myxococcus Xanthus near starvation conditions

Myxococcus xanthus is a rod-shaped bacterium that forms biofilms. When starved, M. xanthus can produce macroscopically visible, three-dimensional mound-shaped aggregates called fruiting bodies. In addition to fruiting body formation, M. xanthus can also generate spatiotemporal patterns, such as concentric rings, under near-starvation conditions. The formation of concentric rings in bacterial colonies is not unique to M. xanthus; similar behaviors have been observed in other bacterial colonies as early as the 1930s. Various biophysical models, including agent-based models and diffusion-limited growth (DLG) models, have been used to study spatiotemporal patterns in expanding bacterial colonies. Here, building on those models, we explore the biophysical mechanisms underlying the formation of concentric rings in M. xanthus. Based on our findings from the computational model, we will further test these mechanisms experimentally.