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Conditional privatization of a public siderophore enables Pseudomonas aeruginosa to resist cheater invasion

Zhenyu Jin1, Jiahong Li1, Lei Ni1

  • 1Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China.

Nature Communications
|April 13, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Environmental stress can maintain bacterial cooperation by regulating public goods like siderophores. This "conditional privatization" strategy protects Pseudomonas aeruginosa from cheaters, aiding novel therapy development.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Bacterial cooperation is crucial for host colonization and pathogenesis.
  • Environmental stress is typically thought to decrease bacterial cooperation.
  • Understanding cooperation mechanisms is vital for developing clinical therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how environmental stress influences bacterial cooperation.
  • To explore the role of siderophore secretion in Pseudomonas aeruginosa under stress.
  • To determine if stress can maintain cooperation against non-cooperative strains.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental evolution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations under various stresses.
  • Analysis of siderophore secretion regulation in response to environmental cues.
  • Theoretical modeling to assess the evolutionary stability of cooperation strategies.
  • Investigating resistance to invasion by non-producing 'cheater' strains.

Main Results:

  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa modifies siderophore secretion under environmental stress.
  • This regulation allows for the private use of siderophores for protection against reactive oxygen species.
  • The strategy, termed 'conditional privatization', prevents invasion by non-producing cheaters.
  • Environmental stress enhances the evolutionary stability of cooperation in this pathogen.

Conclusions:

  • Environmental stress can paradoxically maintain bacterial cooperation through regulated public good secretion.
  • Conditional privatization is an effective strategy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa to sustain cooperation under stress.
  • These findings offer insights into the evolution of cooperation in pathogens and inform novel therapeutic strategies.

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