Lysobacter enzymogenes

Lysobacter enzymogenes represents a predatory strategy intermediate between myxobacterial swarming and Bdellovibrio's individual hunting. This gliding bacterium produces and secretes massive quantities of lytic enzymes—proteases, glucanases, and chitinases—that degrade other microorganisms and release their contents for consumption. Rather than cooperative hunting or direct invasion, Lysobacter essentially digests prey externally, then absorbs the nutrients.

The enzyme arsenal makes Lysobacter effective against diverse targets including bacteria, fungi, and nematodes. This broad target range has attracted agricultural interest—Lysobacter can suppress plant pathogens through direct lysis. Some strains are developed as biocontrol agents, using the bacterium's natural predatory capabilities for crop protection. The approach differs fundamentally from chemical pesticides: rather than introducing synthetic toxins, biocontrol deploys a self-replicating, self-regulating predator.

Lysobacter's gliding motility resembles myxobacterial movement but occurs without the complex social behaviors. Individual cells glide across surfaces toward prey, secreting enzymes as they go. There's no coordinated swarming, no fruiting body development, no apparent division of labor. Lysobacter demonstrates that surface gliding and predatory enzymes can succeed without sociality—myxobacterial cooperation isn't the only path to bacterial predation. The comparison reveals which features of myxobacterial lifestyle are essential to predation versus which serve other functions.