Coculturing Bacteria Leads to Reduced Phenotypic Heterogeneities.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Systems Biology
• Microbial Ecology

Background:

• Phenotypic heterogeneity is observed in isogenic bacterial populations.
• Understanding this heterogeneity in mixed communities is crucial for fields like pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance.
• The influence of microbial interactions on single-taxon phenotypic diversity in natural communities is largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of microbial interactions on the phenotypic heterogeneity of individual bacterial taxa within a community.
• To determine if bacterial interactions modulate single-cell phenotypic diversity.
• To explore the role of community composition in driving phenotypic heterogeneity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized membrane-based microcosms to study single taxa in isolation, coculture, and mixed cultures.
• Employed flow cytometry to assess phenotypic heterogeneity at the single-cell level.
• Applied single-cell Raman spectroscopy to confirm taxon-dependent phenotypic shifts.

Main Results:

• Bacterial interactions led to a significant reduction in individual phenotypic diversity.
• This reduction in heterogeneity was conditional and dependent on the specific bacterial taxon involved.
• Single-cell Raman spectroscopy confirmed taxon-specific phenotypic alterations due to interactions.

Conclusions:

• Bacterial interactions are a significant driver of phenotypic heterogeneity in mixed microbial populations.
• The phenotypic diversity of a bacterial taxon is influenced by its community context.
• Findings suggest that microbial community composition shapes individual bacterial traits, impacting population-level functions.