Fig 1.
(A) Mature population of H. elegans. (B) Close up of an adult H. elegans. (C) Competent larva of H. elegans. (D) Biofilm bacterial surface required for larval metamorphosis. (E) Early juvenile of H. elegans. Scale bars: A, 5 cm; B, 1 cm; C, 50 μm; D, 5 μm; E, 50 μm.
Fig 2.
Dendrogram of hierarchical cluster analysis using optimal matching generated with the TraMineR package [13].
The height of the vertical lines reflects the level of separation. Below the dendrogram, the sequence of events for each sample is included. Samples are labelled according to the settlement inducing treatment they received: Tail Arr, semi-purified preparation of tailocin arrays and cellular products from P. luteoviolacea; PL BF, biofilm of P. luteoviolacea; BB BF, natural biofilms accumulated in the absence of light; WT BF, natural biofilms accumulated in the presence of light.
Fig 3.
Sequence of metamorphic events in competent larvae of H. elegans exposed to a natural biofilm.
A) Prototroch cilia are still attached when primary tube begins to form; B) Prototroch cilia shed while larva is in primary tube; C) Loss of food-groove cells and collar eversion. Scale bar: 20 μm. Ptc, Prototroch cells; PT, Primary Tube; PC, shed Prototroch cilia; Col, collar; FGC, food groove cells.
Fig 4.
Larva of H. elegans induced to metamorphose by a tailocins-array preparation.
(A) Loss of prototroch cilia before attachment and primary-tube formation; (B) Loss of food-groove cells before attachment and primary-tube formation; (C) Loss of prototroch cells before attachment and primary-tube secretion. FGC, food-groove cells; PC, prototroch cilia; Ptc, prototroch cilia. Scale bars: 50 μm.
Fig 5.
Pre-competent larvae of H. elegans lose cilia and prototroch cells when exposed to the semi-purified tailocin arrays from P. luteoviolacea.
(A) Untreated pre-competent trochophore larva of H. elegans. (B) Treated pre-competent larvae of H. elegans showing loss of prototroch cells and cilia. AT, apical tuft of cilia; PC, prototroch cells detaching from the larva. Scale bar: 20 μm.
Fig 6.
Larva of P. sibogae lose cilia when exposed to the semi-purified tailocin arrays from P. luteoviolacea.
(A) Untreated larva from P. sibogae showing velar cilia; F: foot, V: velum. (B) Contracted larva exposed to tailocin arrays from P. luteoviolacea sheds cilia and ciliated cells (C). Scale bar: 100 μm.