Heterogeneity in surface sensing suggests a division of labor in Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations
Abstract
The second messenger signaling molecule cyclic diguanylate monophosphate (c-di-GMP) drives the transition between planktonic and biofilm growth in many bacterial species. Pseudomonas aeruginosa has two surface sensing systems that produce c-di-GMP in response to surface adherence. Current thinking in the field is that once cells attach to a surface, they uniformly respond by producing c-di-GMP. Here, we describe how the Wsp system generates heterogeneity in surface sensing, resulting in two physiologically distinct subpopulations of cells. One subpopulation has elevated c-di-GMP and produces biofilm matrix, serving as the founders of initial microcolonies. The other subpopulation has low c-di-GMP and engages in surface motility, allowing for exploration of the surface. We also show that this heterogeneity strongly correlates to surface behavior for descendent cells. Together, our results suggest that after surface attachment, P. aeruginosa engages in a division of labor that persists across generations, accelerating early biofilm formation and surface exploration.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jun 10, 2019
- Source ID
- 10.7554/elife.45084
Entities
People
- Aiguo Xia
- Boo Shan Tseng
- Calvin K Lee
- Caroline S. Harwood
- Catherine R Armbruster
- Fan Jin
- Gerard Cl Wong
- Jaime de Anda
- Jessica Parker-gilham
- Keiji Murakami
- Kun Zhao
- Lucas R Hoffman
- Matthew R Parsek
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences
- National Institutes of Health
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Tianjin University
- University of California
- University of Nevada, Reno
- University of Science and Technology of China
- University of Washington