Cutting through the complexity of cell collectives

Nadell, Carey D.; Bucci, Vanni; Drescher, Knut; Levin, Simon A.; Bassler, Bonnie L.; Xavier, João B.

doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.2770

Cited by 123 publications

(142 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…4C) (69,70,170). To understand the significance of pattern formation, one should ask not only how cells respond, but also why they do so (13,14,231). As described in the beginning of this article, when cells differentiate to divide labor they are expected to cooperate with each another.…”

Section: Benefits Of Differentiation and Division Of Labormentioning

confidence: 99%

Division of Labor in Biofilms: the Ecology of Cell Differentiation

2015

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The dense aggregation of cells on a surface, as seen in biofilms, inevitably results in both environmental and cellular heterogeneity. For example, nutrient gradients can trigger cells to differentiate into various phenotypic states. Not only do cells adapt physiologically to the local environmental conditions, but they also differentiate into cell types that interact with each other. This allows for task differentiation and, hence, the division of labor. In this article, we focus on cell differentiation and the division of labor in three bacterial species: Myxococcus xanthus, Bacillus subtilis , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . During biofilm formation each of these species differentiates into distinct cell types, in some cases leading to cooperative interactions. The division of labor and the cooperative interactions between cell types are assumed to yield an emergent ecological benefit. Yet in most cases the ecological benefits have yet to be elucidated. A notable exception is M. xanthus , in which cell differentiation within fruiting bodies facilitates the dispersal of spores. We argue that the ecological benefits of the division of labor might best be understood when we consider the dynamic nature of both biofilm formation and degradation.

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Section: Benefits Of Differentiation and Division Of Labormentioning

confidence: 99%

Division of Labor in Biofilms: the Ecology of Cell Differentiation

2015

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“…The strain composition and spatial arrangement of bacteria in biofilm communities strongly influence the course of bacterial infections, the functioning of our resident microbiota, bacterial contributions to biogeochemical cycling and industrial bioremediation (Nicolella et al, 2000;Costerton, 2001;Oggioni et al, 2006;Arnosti, 2011;von Rosenvinge et al, 2013). Analysis of bacterial communities in spatial detail poses a challenging problem (Nadell et al, 2013), and thus we are only at the early stages of discovering the ecological and evolutionary principles that underlie the dynamic nature of biofilm composition and development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extracellular matrix structure governs invasion resistance in bacterial biofilms

et al. 2015

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Many bacteria are highly adapted for life in communities, or biofilms. A defining feature of biofilms is the production of extracellular matrix that binds cells together. The biofilm matrix provides numerous fitness benefits, including protection from environmental stresses and enhanced nutrient availability. Here we investigate defense against biofilm invasion using the model bacterium Vibrio cholerae. We demonstrate that immotile cells, including those identical to the biofilm resident strain, are completely excluded from entry into resident biofilms. Motile cells can colonize and grow on the biofilm exterior, but are readily removed by shear forces. Protection from invasion into the biofilm interior is mediated by the secreted protein RbmA, which binds mother-daughter cell pairs to each other and to polysaccharide components of the matrix. RbmA, and the invasion protection it confers, strongly localize to the cell lineages that produce it.

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“…Here, the diffusion of tracer particles in low-density bacterial cultures was characterized in detail, in well defined and short periods of time. But probably because this study considered only low density cultures, the important changes occurring during growth as a conse-quence of cell's cooperative or social behaviour were not reported [12,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living bacteria rheology: Population growth, aggregation patterns, and collective behavior under different shear flows

et al. 2014

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The activity of growing living bacteria was investigated using real-time and in situ rheologyin stationary and oscillatory shear. Two different strains of the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus -strain COL and its isogenic cell wall autolysis mutant -were considered in this work. For low bacteria density, strain COL forms small clusters, while the mutant, presenting deficient cell separation, forms irregular larger aggregates. In the early stages of growth, when subjected to a stationary shear, the viscosity of both strains increases with the population of cells. As the bacteria reach the exponential phase of growth, the viscosity of the two strains follow different and rich behaviours, with no counterpart in the optical density or in the population's colony forming units measurements. While the viscosity of strain COL keeps increasing during the exponential phase and returns close to its initial value for the late phase of growth, where the population stabilizes, the viscosity of the mutant strain decreases steeply, still in the exponential phase, remains constant for some time and increases again, reaching a constant plateau at a maximum value for the late phase of growth. These complex viscoelastic behaviours, which were observed to be shear stress dependent, are a consequence of two coupled effects: the cell density continuous increase and its changing interacting properties. The viscous and elastic moduli of strain COL, obtained with oscillatory shear, exhibit power-law behaviours whose exponent are dependent on the bacteria growth stage. The viscous and elastic moduli of the mutant have complex behaviours, emerging from the different relaxation times that are associated with the large molecules of the medium and the self-organized structures of bacteria. These behaviours reflect nevertheless the bacteria growth stage.

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Cutting through the complexity of cell collectives

Cited by 123 publications

References 96 publications

Division of Labor in Biofilms: the Ecology of Cell Differentiation

Division of Labor in Biofilms: the Ecology of Cell Differentiation

Extracellular matrix structure governs invasion resistance in bacterial biofilms

Living bacteria rheology: Population growth, aggregation patterns, and collective behavior under different shear flows

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