Model for Quorum-Sensing Mediated Stochastic Biofilm Nucleation

Sinclair, Patrick; Brackley, Chris A.; Carballo-Pacheco, Martín; Allen, Rosalind J.

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.129.198102

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…The relevance of quorum sensing (QS) in the regulation of biological activity of bacteria colonies is well known [9,10]. Many models are formulated to describe its effects, based on deterministic equations [35][36][37] as well as stochastic simulations [38][39][40][41] .On the other hand, the precise role of QS in other kinds of regulatory mechanisms, like those underlying the ecological competition, has been sketched although not clarified [11][12][13][14][15]17] In previous studies, we proposed a model of QS described as a long-range interaction between bacteria represented as a collection of agents living on a regular grid and coupled by Coulomb-like interaction. The associated complex network is dynamical and self-generated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competitive Distribution of Public Goods: The Role of Quorum Sensing in the Development of Bacteria Colonies

Alfinito,

Beccaria

2024

Preprint

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The production of public goods is a necessary condition for the survival of the species but it comes at the expense of individual growth. In a prototype bacterial colony, we model the role of quorum sensing as a resource redistribution mechanism. Two types of bacterial colonies are analyzed, one made up of a single strain and one made up of two different strains. Based on a recent series of experimental data present in the literature, we analyze two types of strains with different extinction times: strains that consume available resources very quickly, therefore becoming extinct quickly, and strains that consume resources slowly and die due to aging. We show that the proposed quorum sensing model describes the main experimental result, namely that coexistence favors the survival of both strains. Furthermore, the production of public goods is maximized when both types of individuals have the maximum proliferation output. Finally, we highlight the role played by so-called dormant cells in the duration of survival time. These cells are of particular interest, because their ability to counteract different types of stress (e.g. the use of antibiotics) still constitutes a challenge.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competitive Distribution of Public Goods: The Role of Quorum Sensing in the Development of Bacteria Colonies

Alfinito,

Beccaria

2024

Preprint

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show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competitive Distribution of Public Goods: The Role of Quorum Sensing in the Development of Bacteria Colonies

Alfinito,

Beccaria

2024

Biophysica

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The production of public goods is a necessary condition for the survival of the species, but it comes at the expense of individual growth. In a prototype bacterial colony, we model the role of quorum sensing as a resource redistribution mechanism. Two types of bacterial colonies are analyzed, one made up of a single strain and one made up of two different strains. Based on a recent series of experimental data present in the literature, we analyze two types of strains with different extinction times: strains that consume available resources very quickly, therefore becoming extinct quickly, and strains that consume resources slowly and die due to aging. We show that the proposed quorum sensing model describes the main experimental result that coexistence may favor the survival of both strains. Furthermore, the production of public goods is maximized when both types of individuals have the maximum proliferation output. Finally, we highlight the role played by so-called dormant cells in the duration of survival time. These cells are of particular interest because their ability to counteract different types of stress (e.g., the use of antibiotics) still constitutes a challenge.

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“…Since the evolutionary dynamics of bacterial colonies is complex and of interest in multiple disciplines, many different models have been developed to describe it. Some of them found on deterministic equations [ 7 – 9 ], other privilege stochastic approaches [ 10 – 12 ], many of them focusing on specific processes regulated by QS, such as biofilm formation [ 13 – 15 ], bioluminescence [ 8 ], pattern formation [ 16 , 17 ], motility [ 18 ], and also social behaviors [ 19 ].An interesting review of some of the most successful models can be found in [ 15 , 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cooperation in bioluminescence: understanding the role of autoinducers by a stochastic random resistor model

Alfinito,

Beccaria,

Cesaria

2023

Eur. Phys. J. E

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Quorum sensing is a communication mechanism adopted by different bacterial strains for the regulation of gene transcription. It takes place through the exchange of molecules called autoinducers. Bioluminescence is an emergent threshold phenomenon shown by some bacteria strains. Its precise relationship to quorum sensing is a debated topic, particularly regarding the role of the different autoinducers used by bacteria. In this paper, assuming a direct relationship between bioluminescence and quorum sensing, we investigate the role of multiple autoinducers in the bioluminescence response of Vibrio harveyi, considered as a model bioluminescent strain, due to its quorum sensing circuitry involving an array of three different autoinducers. Experiments on mutants of this bacterium, obtained by suppression of one or more autoinducers, reveal their relative non-trivial relevance and cooperative interaction patterns. The proposed analysis is implemented on a regular lattice, whose nodes represent microbial entities equipped with charges, which represent the ability to up/down regulate the gene expression. Quorum sensing results from a Coulomb-type field, produced by the charges. In analogy with random resistor network models, the lattice is permeated by an effective current which accounts for the amount and distribution of the charges. We propose that the presence of different autoinducers correspond to a different up/down regulation of gene expression, i.e., to a different way to account for the charges. Then, by introducing a modulation of the charge dependence into the current flowing within the network, we show that it is able to describe the bioluminescence exhibited by V. harveyi mutants. Furthermore, modulation of the charge dependence allows the interactions between the different autoinducers to be taken into account, providing a prediction regarding the data obtainable under specific growth conditions. Graphical abstract

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Model for Quorum-Sensing Mediated Stochastic Biofilm Nucleation

Cited by 3 publications

References 35 publications

Competitive Distribution of Public Goods: The Role of Quorum Sensing in the Development of Bacteria Colonies

Competitive Distribution of Public Goods: The Role of Quorum Sensing in the Development of Bacteria Colonies

Competitive Distribution of Public Goods: The Role of Quorum Sensing in the Development of Bacteria Colonies

Cooperation in bioluminescence: understanding the role of autoinducers by a stochastic random resistor model

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