Title: Cannibalism and fratricide: mechanisms and raisons d'être.
Authors: Claverys, Jean-Pierre; Håvarstein, Leiv S.
Abstract: Cannibalism and fratricide refer to the killing of genetically identical cells (siblings) that was recently documented in two Gram-positive species, Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pneumoniae, respectively. Cannibalism occurs during the early stages of sporulation in B. subtilis, whereas fratricide occurs in S. pneumoniae during natural genetic transformation. Here, we compare and contrast these two phenomena and discuss whether these processes are fundamentally different from the more traditional 'chemical warfare' among bacteria.
Subjects: FRATRICIDE; CANNIBALISM; STREPTOCOCCUS pneumoniae; BACILLUS subtilis; CYTOGENETICS; GENETIC transformation; BACTERIAL genetics
Publication: Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2007, Vol 5, Issue 3, p219
ISSN: 1740-1526
Publication type: Academic Journal
DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro1613

Cannibalism and fratricide: mechanisms and raisons d'être.

Claverys, Jean-Pierre; Håvarstein, Leiv S.