1. Myxobacteria: A Most Peculiar Group of Social Prokaryotes. - Gliding Motility. - Morphogenesis. - Intercellular Communication. - Ecology. - Physiology Isolation and Cultivation. - Phylogeny and Taxonomy. - 2. Structure and Function of Myxobacteria Cells and Fruiting Bodies. - Structure of Vegetative Cells and Myxospores. - Structure of Fruiting Bodies. - Conclusions. - 3. Genome of Myxococcus xanthus. - Coordination of DNA Replication with Cell Division. - Base Composition. - Genome Size. - DNA Methylation. - Phase Variation and DNA Rearrangement. - Small Homogeneous DNA Fragment in Total Chromosomal DNA Preparations. - Conclusion. - Note Added in Pages. - 4. Nutrition Metabolism and the Initiation of Development. - Nutrition. - Intermediary Metabolism. - Regulation of Nutritional Downshift in Other Bacteria. - Nutritional Control of Fruiting Body Formation. - Intercellular Communication in Other Bacteria. - Intercellular Signals Initiating Development of Myxobacteria. - Conclusion. - 5. Antibiotics and Lytic Enzymes. - Lytic Phenomena. - Lytic Agents Produced by Myxobacteria. - Role of Lytic Enzymes and Antibiotics in Nutrition. - Development: Role of Lytic Enzymes and Antibiotics. - 6. Pigments of Myxobacteria. - Chemical Structures and Biosynthesis. - Physiology. - 7. Gliding Motility and Taxes. - Description of Movements. - Biological Physical and Chemical Conditions that Affect Gliding. - Gliding Motility Mutants. - Mechanistic Theories of Myxobacterial Gliding. - Tactic Responses. - Conclusion. - Acknowledgments. - 8. Genetics of Myxobacteria. - Transducing Phages and Transduction. - Transposon Tn5 in Myxococcus xanthus. - Gene Mapping by Cotransduction. - Tandem Duplications. - Cloning Myxobacterial Genes. - Extracellular Complementation. - Summary. - Acknowledgment. - 9. Developmental Program of Myxococcusxanthus. - Development in Myxococcus xanthus. - Biochemical Markers of Development. - Analysis of the Developmental Program with Mutants. - Outlines of a Developmental Program. - Acknowledgments. - 10. Social Adaptations in Myxobacteria. - Group Selection and Individual Selection. - Social Behavior During Growth. - Social Behavior During Development. - Conclusion. - 11. Research on the Myxobacteria: Past Present Future. - The Distant Past. - The Recent Past. - The Present. - The Future of Myxobacterial Research. - Conclusion. - Acknowledgments. - Appendix A. Selected Reviews on Myxobacteria. - Appendix D. Techniques for Culturing Stigmatella. - References. Language: English