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► Journal BrowserSpecial Issue "Molecular Mechanisms of Bacterial Multicellularity"
A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2023 | Viewed by 3383
Special Issue Editor

Interests: substratum interactions; polysaccharide production; outer-membrane dynamics; cellular recognition
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Bacteria were long regarded as simple unicellular creatures until the publication of James Shapiro’s revelatory discussion on bacterial multicellularity in 1988. Since then, our understanding of the complexities of prokaryotic existence has improved immeasurably, revealing fascinating facets of multicellular bacterial physiology. These include traits typically associated with metazoan organisms such as cellular specialization, morphological differentiation, and the formation of higher-order structures (such as bacterial filaments, biofilms, and fruiting bodies). Multicellular lifestyles thus confer a range of benefits to bacteria including better nutrient acquisition and community expansion as well as resistance to stress and predation.
The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a forum for the latest research on the diverse biomolecules (e.g., biochemical compounds, polysaccharides, lipids, proteins, and nucleotides) that modulate multicellular physiology in bacteria. Original research articles and review articles are welcome. The collected works in this Special Issue will thus help researchers explore the rich variety of ways in which bacterial communities function as more than simply the sum of their parts.
Prof. Salim Timo Islam
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2300 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- biofilm formation
- fruiting body formation
- filamentation
- cellular specialization
- morphological differentiation
- quorum sensing
- extracellular matrix
- polysaccharide secretion
- cell-cell interactions proteins
- lipids
- nucleotides
- signaling molecules