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Self-destructive cooperation mediated by phenotypic noise.

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Phenotypic noise allows cooperative cells to evolve, even when cooperation is self-destructive. This occurs when cells with higher self-destruction probability access more resources, as seen in bacterial infections.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Cooperation in biological systems often presents a challenge, particularly when cooperation is self-destructive.
  • Self-destructive cooperation, where individuals perish while aiding others, requires genetic maintenance mechanisms.
  • Phenotypic noise is a potential mechanism for differentiating populations in self-destructive cooperation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolution of self-destructive cooperation mediated by phenotypic noise.
  • To explore the role of assortment in the evolution of cooperation.
  • To examine the relevance of this model to bacterial pathogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of cooperation under phenotypic noise and assortment.
  • Experimental validation using Salmonella typhimurium.

Main Results:

  • Noisy expression of self-destructive cooperation can evolve when individuals with higher self-destruction probability gain greater access to public goods (assortment).
  • Assortment can arise in spatially structured environments.
  • Phenotypic noise can promote cooperative sub-populations that facilitate infection.

Conclusions:

  • Noisily expressed self-destructive cooperative actions can evolve under assortment conditions.
  • Self-destructive cooperation is a plausible biological function of phenotypic noise.
  • Phenotypic noise-mediated self-destructive cooperation may play a significant role in bacterial pathogenesis.