Coupling between distant biofilms and emergence of nutrient time-sharing
Abstract
Bacterial colonies can undergo synchronized oscillations of cell growth, in which individual cells communicate through potassium ion-mediated electrical signals. Liu et al. found that such communication can also occur between adjacent colonies (see the Perspective by Gordon). Furthermore, colonies that would normally oscillate in synchrony adapted to an environment in which the nutrient supply was limited by growing out of phase with one another. Mathematical modeling and further experiments showed that this kept the colonies from having to compete for the limited nutrient and, counterintuitively, allowed the colonies to grow more quickly than they did with a higher nutrient concentration.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- May 12, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.aah4204
Entities
People
- Arthur Prindle
- Dong-yeon D. Lee
- Gürol M Süel
- Jintao Liu
- Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo
- Joseph Larkin
- Marçal Gabalda-Sagarra
- Rosa Martinez-Corral
Organizations
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences
- National Institutes of Health
- Pompeu Fabra University
- University of California