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Stochastic receptor expression allows sensitive bacteria to evade phage attack. Part I: experiments.

E Chapman-McQuiston1, X L Wu

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Biophysical Journal
|March 4, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Population heterogeneity in receptor expression boosts bacterial survival against phage attacks. A small subpopulation of slow-receptor-producing Escherichia coli cells ensures long-term fitness, outcompeting mutants under high phage pressure.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology and Molecular Biology
  • Population Dynamics
  • Bacteriophage-Host Interactions

Background:

  • Population heterogeneity, at genetic or protein levels, is hypothesized to enhance organismal fitness under environmental stress.
  • Quantitative evidence for this hypothesis is scarce due to measurement challenges.
  • Understanding bacterial population responses to phage predation is crucial for microbial ecology and evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of expression heterogeneity of lambda-phage receptors on Escherichia coli population survival.
  • To quantify the role of receptor distribution in bacterial defense against high phage concentrations.
  • To determine the phage pressure threshold for isolating resistant mutants versus observing persister dominance.

Main Methods:

  • Characterization of lambda-phage receptor distribution within an Escherichia coli population using flow cytometry.
  • Exposure of the characterized bacterial population to varying concentrations of lambda-phage.
  • Analysis of bacterial population survival and the emergence of phage-resistant mutants under different phage pressures.

Main Results:

  • A minority subpopulation of bacteria with slow and low-level receptor production was identified as critical for long-term population survival.
  • Phage-resistant mutants were efficiently isolated only at persistent phage pressures exceeding 10^10 viruses/cm^3.
  • Below this high phage pressure threshold, 'persistor' bacteria, not mutants, dominated the population's response.

Conclusions:

  • Expression heterogeneity of phage receptors significantly influences bacterial population resilience to phage attack.
  • Slow-receptor-producing bacterial subpopulations act as crucial 'persistors' ensuring survival under intense phage pressure.
  • The dominance of 'persistors' over mutants at lower phage pressures highlights a key survival strategy in bacterial populations.