Bacteria Floc, but Do They Flock? Insights from Population Interaction Models of Quorum Sensing

ABSTRACT Quorum sensing (QS) enables coordinated, population-wide behavior. QS-active bacteria “communicate” their number density using autoinducers which they synthesize, collect, and interpret. Tangentially, chemotactic bacteria migrate, seeking out nutrients and other molecules. It has long been...

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Autores principales:	Hana Ueda, Kristina Stephens, Konstantina Trivisa, William E. Bentley
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Society for Microbiology 2019
Materias:	chemotaxis flocking quorum sensing Microbiology QR1-502
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/15fbf090d2d04d43be6067e48ef3729f
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:15fbf090d2d04d43be6067e48ef3729f2021-11-15T15:55:24ZBacteria Floc, but Do They Flock? Insights from Population Interaction Models of Quorum Sensing10.1128/mBio.00972-192150-7511https://doaj.org/article/15fbf090d2d04d43be6067e48ef3729f2019-06-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mBio.00972-19https://doaj.org/toc/2150-7511ABSTRACT Quorum sensing (QS) enables coordinated, population-wide behavior. QS-active bacteria “communicate” their number density using autoinducers which they synthesize, collect, and interpret. Tangentially, chemotactic bacteria migrate, seeking out nutrients and other molecules. It has long been hypothesized that bacterial behaviors, such as chemotaxis, were the primordial progenitors of complex behaviors of higher-order organisms. Recently, QS was linked to chemotaxis, yet the notion that these behaviors can together contribute to higher-order behaviors has not been shown. Here, we mathematically link flocking behavior, commonly observed in fish and birds, to bacterial chemotaxis and QS by constructing a phenomenological model of population-scale QS-mediated phenomena. Specifically, we recast a previously developed mathematical model of flocking and found that simulated bacterial behaviors aligned well with well-known QS behaviors. This relatively simple system of ordinary differential equations affords analytical analysis of asymptotic behavior and describes cell position and velocity, QS-mediated protein expression, and the surrounding concentrations of an autoinducer. Further, heuristic explorations of the model revealed that the emergence of “migratory” subpopulations occurs only when chemotaxis is directly linked to QS. That is, behaviors were simulated when chemotaxis was coupled to QS and when not. When coupled, the bacterial flocking model predicts the formation of two distinct groups of cells migrating at different speeds in their journey toward an attractant. This is qualitatively similar to phenomena spotted in our Escherichia coli chemotaxis experiments as well as in analogous work observed over 50 years ago. IMPORTANCE Our modeling efforts show how cell density can affect chemotaxis; they help to explain the roots of subgroup formation in bacterial populations. Our work also reinforces the notion that bacterial mechanisms are at times exhibited in higher-order organisms.Hana UedaKristina StephensKonstantina TrivisaWilliam E. BentleyAmerican Society for Microbiologyarticlechemotaxisflockingquorum sensingMicrobiologyQR1-502ENmBio, Vol 10, Iss 3 (2019)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	chemotaxis flocking quorum sensing Microbiology QR1-502
spellingShingle	chemotaxis flocking quorum sensing Microbiology QR1-502 Hana Ueda Kristina Stephens Konstantina Trivisa William E. Bentley Bacteria Floc, but Do They Flock? Insights from Population Interaction Models of Quorum Sensing
description	ABSTRACT Quorum sensing (QS) enables coordinated, population-wide behavior. QS-active bacteria “communicate” their number density using autoinducers which they synthesize, collect, and interpret. Tangentially, chemotactic bacteria migrate, seeking out nutrients and other molecules. It has long been hypothesized that bacterial behaviors, such as chemotaxis, were the primordial progenitors of complex behaviors of higher-order organisms. Recently, QS was linked to chemotaxis, yet the notion that these behaviors can together contribute to higher-order behaviors has not been shown. Here, we mathematically link flocking behavior, commonly observed in fish and birds, to bacterial chemotaxis and QS by constructing a phenomenological model of population-scale QS-mediated phenomena. Specifically, we recast a previously developed mathematical model of flocking and found that simulated bacterial behaviors aligned well with well-known QS behaviors. This relatively simple system of ordinary differential equations affords analytical analysis of asymptotic behavior and describes cell position and velocity, QS-mediated protein expression, and the surrounding concentrations of an autoinducer. Further, heuristic explorations of the model revealed that the emergence of “migratory” subpopulations occurs only when chemotaxis is directly linked to QS. That is, behaviors were simulated when chemotaxis was coupled to QS and when not. When coupled, the bacterial flocking model predicts the formation of two distinct groups of cells migrating at different speeds in their journey toward an attractant. This is qualitatively similar to phenomena spotted in our Escherichia coli chemotaxis experiments as well as in analogous work observed over 50 years ago. IMPORTANCE Our modeling efforts show how cell density can affect chemotaxis; they help to explain the roots of subgroup formation in bacterial populations. Our work also reinforces the notion that bacterial mechanisms are at times exhibited in higher-order organisms.
format	article
author	Hana Ueda Kristina Stephens Konstantina Trivisa William E. Bentley
author_facet	Hana Ueda Kristina Stephens Konstantina Trivisa William E. Bentley
author_sort	Hana Ueda
title	Bacteria Floc, but Do They Flock? Insights from Population Interaction Models of Quorum Sensing
title_short	Bacteria Floc, but Do They Flock? Insights from Population Interaction Models of Quorum Sensing
title_full	Bacteria Floc, but Do They Flock? Insights from Population Interaction Models of Quorum Sensing
title_fullStr	Bacteria Floc, but Do They Flock? Insights from Population Interaction Models of Quorum Sensing
title_full_unstemmed	Bacteria Floc, but Do They Flock? Insights from Population Interaction Models of Quorum Sensing
title_sort	bacteria floc, but do they flock? insights from population interaction models of quorum sensing
publisher	American Society for Microbiology
publishDate	2019
url	https://doaj.org/article/15fbf090d2d04d43be6067e48ef3729f
work_keys_str_mv	AT hanaueda bacteriaflocbutdotheyflockinsightsfrompopulationinteractionmodelsofquorumsensing AT kristinastephens bacteriaflocbutdotheyflockinsightsfrompopulationinteractionmodelsofquorumsensing AT konstantinatrivisa bacteriaflocbutdotheyflockinsightsfrompopulationinteractionmodelsofquorumsensing AT williamebentley bacteriaflocbutdotheyflockinsightsfrompopulationinteractionmodelsofquorumsensing
_version_	1718427198676795392

Bacteria Floc, but Do They Flock? Insights from Population Interaction Models of Quorum Sensing

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