Why do bacteria regulate public goods by quorum sensing? - How the shapes of cost and benefit functions determine the form of optimal regulation
Many bacteria secrete compounds, which act as public goods. Such compounds are often under quorum sensing (QS) regulation, yet it is not understood exactly when bacteria may gain from having a public good under QS regulation.Here, we show that the optimal public good production rate per cell as a fu...
Main Authors: | , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-07-01
|
Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00767/full |
id |
doaj-c5299b47d4fe41dfb703b4e6d47f4b6e |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-c5299b47d4fe41dfb703b4e6d47f4b6e2020-11-24T21:05:56ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2015-07-01610.3389/fmicb.2015.00767149137Why do bacteria regulate public goods by quorum sensing? - How the shapes of cost and benefit functions determine the form of optimal regulationSilja eHeilmann0Sandeep eKrishna1Benjamin eKerr2Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNational Centre for Biological SciencesUniversity of WashingtonMany bacteria secrete compounds, which act as public goods. Such compounds are often under quorum sensing (QS) regulation, yet it is not understood exactly when bacteria may gain from having a public good under QS regulation.Here, we show that the optimal public good production rate per cell as a function of population size (the optimal production curve, OPC) depend crucially on the cost and benefit functions of the public good and that the OPC will fall into one of two categories: Either it is continuous or it jumps from zero discontinuously at a critical population size.If, e.g., the public good has accelerating returns and linear cost, then the OPC is discontinuous and the best strategy thus to ramp up production sharply at a precise population size.By using the example of public goods with accelerating and diminishing returns (and linear cost) we are able to determine how the two different categories of OPSs, can best be matched by production regulated through a QS signal feeding back on its own production. We find that the optimal QS parameters are different for the two categories and specifically that public goods, which provide accelerating returns, call for stronger positive signal feedback.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00767/fullBacteriaQuorum SensingcooperationMutualismpublic goodsP. aeruginosa |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Silja eHeilmann Sandeep eKrishna Benjamin eKerr |
spellingShingle |
Silja eHeilmann Sandeep eKrishna Benjamin eKerr Why do bacteria regulate public goods by quorum sensing? - How the shapes of cost and benefit functions determine the form of optimal regulation Frontiers in Microbiology Bacteria Quorum Sensing cooperation Mutualism public goods P. aeruginosa |
author_facet |
Silja eHeilmann Sandeep eKrishna Benjamin eKerr |
author_sort |
Silja eHeilmann |
title |
Why do bacteria regulate public goods by quorum sensing? - How the shapes of cost and benefit functions determine the form of optimal regulation |
title_short |
Why do bacteria regulate public goods by quorum sensing? - How the shapes of cost and benefit functions determine the form of optimal regulation |
title_full |
Why do bacteria regulate public goods by quorum sensing? - How the shapes of cost and benefit functions determine the form of optimal regulation |
title_fullStr |
Why do bacteria regulate public goods by quorum sensing? - How the shapes of cost and benefit functions determine the form of optimal regulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Why do bacteria regulate public goods by quorum sensing? - How the shapes of cost and benefit functions determine the form of optimal regulation |
title_sort |
why do bacteria regulate public goods by quorum sensing? - how the shapes of cost and benefit functions determine the form of optimal regulation |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Microbiology |
issn |
1664-302X |
publishDate |
2015-07-01 |
description |
Many bacteria secrete compounds, which act as public goods. Such compounds are often under quorum sensing (QS) regulation, yet it is not understood exactly when bacteria may gain from having a public good under QS regulation.Here, we show that the optimal public good production rate per cell as a function of population size (the optimal production curve, OPC) depend crucially on the cost and benefit functions of the public good and that the OPC will fall into one of two categories: Either it is continuous or it jumps from zero discontinuously at a critical population size.If, e.g., the public good has accelerating returns and linear cost, then the OPC is discontinuous and the best strategy thus to ramp up production sharply at a precise population size.By using the example of public goods with accelerating and diminishing returns (and linear cost) we are able to determine how the two different categories of OPSs, can best be matched by production regulated through a QS signal feeding back on its own production. We find that the optimal QS parameters are different for the two categories and specifically that public goods, which provide accelerating returns, call for stronger positive signal feedback. |
topic |
Bacteria Quorum Sensing cooperation Mutualism public goods P. aeruginosa |
url |
http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00767/full |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT siljaeheilmann whydobacteriaregulatepublicgoodsbyquorumsensinghowtheshapesofcostandbenefitfunctionsdeterminetheformofoptimalregulation AT sandeepekrishna whydobacteriaregulatepublicgoodsbyquorumsensinghowtheshapesofcostandbenefitfunctionsdeterminetheformofoptimalregulation AT benjaminekerr whydobacteriaregulatepublicgoodsbyquorumsensinghowtheshapesofcostandbenefitfunctionsdeterminetheformofoptimalregulation |
_version_ |
1716767364549181440 |