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Collective decision making in bacterial viruses.

Joshua S Weitz1, Yuriy Mileyko, Richard I Joh

  • 1School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. jsweitz@gatech.edu

Biophysical Journal
|June 24, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Bacterial viruses make collective decisions about cell fate, like lysis or latency, based on infection levels. Mathematical models show viral gene copy number influences these critical choices, impacting viral population dynamics and evolution.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Mathematical Biology

Background:

  • Bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) exhibit complex behaviors, including host cell lysis or latency.
  • The decision between lysis and latency is often influenced by the multiplicity of coinfection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a mathematical theory explaining how bacterial viruses make collective decisions on host cell fate.
  • To investigate the role of viral gene copy number and regulatory feedback in these decisions.

Main Methods:

  • Mechanistic models of gene regulatory dynamics were employed.
  • The copy number of viral genes was treated as a variable parameter.
  • Nonlinear feedback loops in viral gene regulation were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Mathematical models demonstrate that bacterial viruses can deterministically decide between lysis and latency.
  • Decisions are dependent on the cellular multiplicity of infection.
  • Viral gene copy number significantly impacts transcriptional rates and gene expression.

Conclusions:

  • Bacterial viruses can adaptively respond to population dynamics through collective decision-making.
  • Features of viral collective decision-making are evolvable life history traits.
  • The model aligns with molecular studies of bacteriophage lambda's decision-making processes.