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Live-Cell Imaging of the Life Cycle of Bacterial Predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus using Time-Lapse Fluorescence Microscopy
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Parallel Evolution in Predatory Bdellovibrio sp. NC01 during Long-Term Coculture with a Single Prey Strain
Kathryn Mulvey1, Katherine Brosnan1, Mackenzie Galvin1
1Department of Biology, Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
|January 4, 2023
Summary
Experimental evolution of Bdellovibrio sp. NC01 against Pseudomonas sp. NC02 revealed adaptation through enhanced starvation survival, not improved predation. Key mutations in Bdellovibrio highlight genes important for adaptation to nutrient-limited environments.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Bdellovibrio are predatory bacteria that attack Gram-negative bacteria, including pathogens.
- Understanding Bdellovibrio evolution is crucial for deciphering bacterial predation mechanisms.
- Experimental evolution offers insights into adaptation under specific selective pressures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the adaptive evolution of Bdellovibrio sp. NC01 during long-term coculture with Pseudomonas sp. NC02.
- To identify genetic mutations and phenotypic changes in Bdellovibrio under selective predation pressure.
- To understand how Bdellovibrio adapts to a less susceptible prey strain.
Main Methods:
- Experimental evolution through long-term coculture of Bdellovibrio sp. NC01 and Pseudomonas sp. NC02 for 40 passages (2,880 hours).
- Whole-genome sequencing of six replicate Bdellovibrio populations at six time points to identify mutations.
- Phenotypic assays to assess prey range, predation efficiency, and starvation survival of evolved strains.
Main Results:
- High-frequency mutations (>75%) were detected in evolved Bdellovibrio populations, with 18 altering protein sequences.
- Four genes (Bd2221, Bd0054, Bd0396, Bd1601) showed parallel high-frequency mutations across multiple populations, indicating positive selection.
- Evolved Bdellovibrio populations did not exhibit improved predation efficiency against Pseudomonas sp. NC02 but showed significantly enhanced starvation survival.
Conclusions:
- Bdellovibrio sp. NC01 adaptation to long-term coculture with Pseudomonas sp. NC02 primarily involves enhanced starvation survival, not improved prey killing.
- Identified mutations in specific genes suggest their importance in Bdellovibrio's adaptation to nutrient limitation and predatory lifestyle.
- This study provides valuable genetic and phenotypic data for understanding bacterial adaptation and predator-prey dynamics.
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