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Cell-signalling repression in bacterial quorum sensing.

J P Ward1, J R King, A J Koerber

  • 1Mathematical Biology Group, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK. john.ward@lboro.ac.uk

Mathematical Medicine and Biology : a Journal of the IMA
|October 9, 2004
PubMed
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Mathematical models reveal how repression mechanisms regulate bacterial quorum sensing (QS). Combining QS molecule (QSM) degradation with negative feedback or QSM binding is essential for QSM saturation in growing bacterial colonies.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Mathematical Biology
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell-signalling process crucial for bacterial colony behavior.
  • Repression mechanisms can modulate QS, influencing bacterial growth in different environments.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is vital for controlling bacterial populations, including pathogens like *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* and *Agrobacterium tumefaciens*.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of three distinct repression mechanisms in bacterial quorum sensing.
  • To model bacterial colony growth in liquid cultures and biofilms under these repression mechanisms.
  • To determine the necessity and sufficiency of each mechanism for QS regulation and saturation.

Main Methods:

  • Development and analysis of two mathematical models for bacterial growth and QS.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Incorporation of three specific repression mechanisms: QSM degradation, negative feedback, and QSM binding.
  • Curve-fitting of experimental data from *P. aeruginosa* liquid cultures to validate model (1).

    • Main Results:

    • Mechanism (i) (QSM degradation) is necessary but insufficient for QSM saturation in growing colonies.
    • Mechanisms (ii) (negative feedback) or (iii) (QSM binding) must be combined with (i) to achieve saturation.
    • Only a fraction of the bacterial population becomes up-regulated, with mechanisms (i) and (iii) impacting regulation timescales and wave speeds in biofilms.

    Conclusions:

    • Repression mechanisms are critical for regulating bacterial quorum sensing and cell-state switching.
    • A combination of QSM degradation with either negative feedback or QSM binding is required for QSM saturation.
    • Repression plays a reduced but still significant role in biofilms, affecting population dynamics and spatial spread.