The evolution of strategy in bacterial warfare via the regulation of bacteriocins and antibiotics

eLife

Rene Niehus¹  Aming Li²  Nuno M Oliveira³  Kevin R Foster⁴  Alexander G Fletcher⁵ 

[1] Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, United States;Center for Systems and Control, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China;Institue for Artificial Intelligence, Peking University, Beijing, China;Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom;Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom;Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom;Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom;School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom;The Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom;

关键词: bacterial competition;    antibiotics;    toxin regulation;    game theory;    eco-evolutionary model;    quorum sensing;    competition sensing;    None;   

DOI  :  10.7554/eLife.69756

来源: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd

【 摘 要 】

Bacteria inhibit and kill one another with a diverse array of compounds, including bacteriocins and antibiotics. These attacks are highly regulated, but we lack a clear understanding of the evolutionary logic underlying this regulation. Here, we combine a detailed dynamic model of bacterial competition with evolutionary game theory to study the rules of bacterial warfare. We model a large range of possible combat strategies based upon the molecular biology of bacterial regulatory networks. Our model predicts that regulated strategies, which use quorum sensing or stress responses to regulate toxin production, will readily evolve as they outcompete constitutive toxin production. Amongst regulated strategies, we show that a particularly successful strategy is to upregulate toxin production in response to an incoming competitor’s toxin, which can be achieved via stress responses that detect cell damage (competition sensing). Mirroring classical game theory, our work suggests a fundamental advantage to reciprocation. However, in contrast to classical results, we argue that reciprocation in bacteria serves not to promote peaceful outcomes but to enable efficient and effective attacks.

【 授权许可】

CC BY