Dworkin, Martin, Ph.D., Department of Microbiology in the Medical School at the University of Minnesota

Research Interests:

Contact-medicated cell-cell interactions and developmental biology of Myxococcus xanthus

Find out more information about Dr. Dworkin\'s research on myxobacteria

I am interested in the mechanisms whereby the multicellular prokaryote, Myxococcus xanthus, engages in contact-mediated cell-to-cell signaling. The efforts of my laboratory have focused recently on the nature and role of the extracellular fibrils, on the roles of tyrosine kinase, and on fibril-bound ADP-ribosylation.

I am also collaborating with Dr. David Sherman on the isolation of marine myxobacteria that produce novel bioactive agents.

Selected Publications:

Dworkin, M. (1999) Fibrils as extracellular appendages of bacteria: their role in contact-mediated cell-cell interactions in Myxococcus xanthus. Bioessays 21:590-595.

Dworkin, M. (1996) Recent advances in the social and developmental biology of the myxobacteria. Microbiol. Revs. 60:70-102.

Shapiro, J.A. and M. Dworkin (Eds. 1997) Bacteria as Multicellular Organisms. Oxford University Press, New York.

Shimkets, L.J. and M. Dworkin (1997). Myxobacterial multicellularity. In: Bacteria as Multicellular Organisms. Ibid.

Hildebrandt, K., D. Eastman and M. Dworkin. (1997) ADP-ribosylation by the extracellular fibrils of Myxococcus xanthus. Molec. Microbiol. 23:231-235