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Cooperation and conflict in quorum-sensing bacterial populations

Author

Listed:
  • Stephen P. Diggle

    (Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University Park, University of Nottingham)

  • Ashleigh S. Griffin

    (Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK)

  • Genevieve S. Campbell

    (Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University Park, University of Nottingham)

  • Stuart A. West

    (Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK)

Abstract

Communication cheats Communication between bacteria via the release and sensing of small diffusible signal molecules, or quorum sensing, is thought to be a way of coordinating cooperative behaviours at the population level. Evolutionary theory predicts that individuals who communicate and cooperate are vulnerable to cheaters, who either do not signal or fail to respond to signals. Experiments in colonies of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which signals between cells to regulate virulence factor expression, now confirm that both signal and signal-receptor mutants (or 'cheats') do have a fitness advantage. But a solution to the cheating problem does exist in the form of kin selection — 'honest' communication is favoured when it is between close relatives. The findings provide an explanation for the spread of cheats that has been observed in bacterial infections of humans.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen P. Diggle & Ashleigh S. Griffin & Genevieve S. Campbell & Stuart A. West, 2007. "Cooperation and conflict in quorum-sensing bacterial populations," Nature, Nature, vol. 450(7168), pages 411-414, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:450:y:2007:i:7168:d:10.1038_nature06279
    DOI: 10.1038/nature06279
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jorge M Pacheco & Vítor V Vasconcelos & Francisco C Santos & Brian Skyrms, 2015. "Co-evolutionary Dynamics of Collective Action with Signaling for a Quorum," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(2), pages 1-12, February.
    2. Kerry E Boyle & Hilary Monaco & Dave van Ditmarsch & Maxime Deforet & Joao B Xavier, 2015. "Integration of Metabolic and Quorum Sensing Signals Governing the Decision to Cooperate in a Bacterial Social Trait," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(6), pages 1-26, June.
    3. Eran Even-Tov & Shira Omer Bendori & Julie Valastyan & Xiaobo Ke & Shaul Pollak & Tasneem Bareia & Ishay Ben-Zion & Bonnie L Bassler & Avigdor Eldar, 2016. "Social Evolution Selects for Redundancy in Bacterial Quorum Sensing," PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(2), pages 1-18, February.
    4. Elhanati, Yuval & Schuster, Stefan & Brenner, Naama, 2011. "Dynamic modeling of cooperative protein secretion in microorganism populations," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 80(1), pages 49-63.
    5. Anne Mund & Christina Kuttler & Judith Pérez-Velázquez, 2019. "Using G -Functions to Investigate the Evolutionary Stability of Bacterial Quorum Sensing," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-17, November.
    6. Martin Schuster & Eric Foxall & David Finch & Hal Smith & Patrick De Leenheer, 2017. "Tragedy of the commons in the chemostat," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(12), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Li, Yixiao & Shen, Bin, 2013. "The coevolution of partner switching and strategy updating in non-excludable public goods game," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 392(20), pages 4956-4965.

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