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A Growing Microcolony can Survive and Support Persistent Propagation of Virulent Phages

Rasmus Skytte Eriksen, View ORCID ProfileSine Lo Svenningsen, View ORCID ProfileKim Sneppen, View ORCID ProfileNamiko Mitarai
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/149062
Rasmus Skytte Eriksen
a Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Sine Lo Svenningsen
b Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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  • For correspondence: sls@bio.ku.dk mitarai@nbi.ku.dk
Kim Sneppen
a Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Namiko Mitarai
a Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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  • ORCID record for Namiko Mitarai
  • For correspondence: sls@bio.ku.dk mitarai@nbi.ku.dk
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Abstract

Bacteria form colonies and secrete extracellular polymeric substances that surround the individual cells. These spatial structures are often associated with collaboration and quorum sensing between the bacteria. Here we investigate the mutual protection provided by spherical growth of a monoclonal colony during exposure to phages that proliferate on its surface. As a proof of concept we exposed growing colonies of Escherichia coli to a virulent mutant of phage P1. When the colony consists of less than ~ 50000 members it is eliminated, while larger initial colonies allow long-term survival because the growth of bacteria throughout the spherical colony exceeds the killing of bacteria on the surface. A mathematical model pinpoints how this critical colony size depends on key parameters in the phage infection cycle. Surprisingly, we predict that a higher phage adsorption rate would allow substantially smaller colonies to survive a virulent phage.

Significance Statement Bacteria are repeatedly exposed to an excess of phages, and carry evidence of this in terms of multiple defense mechanisms encoded in their genome. In addition to molecular mechanisms, bacteria may exploit the defense of spatial refuges. Here we demonstrate how bacteria can limit the impact of a virulent phage attack by growing as a colony which only exposes its surface to phages. We identify a critical size of the initial colony, below which the phages entirely eliminates the colony, and above which the colony continues to grow despite the presence of phages. Our study suggests that coexistence of phages and bacteria is strongly influenced by the spatial composition of microcolonies of susceptible bacteria.

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Posted June 12, 2017.
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A Growing Microcolony can Survive and Support Persistent Propagation of Virulent Phages
Rasmus Skytte Eriksen, Sine Lo Svenningsen, Kim Sneppen, Namiko Mitarai
bioRxiv 149062; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/149062
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A Growing Microcolony can Survive and Support Persistent Propagation of Virulent Phages
Rasmus Skytte Eriksen, Sine Lo Svenningsen, Kim Sneppen, Namiko Mitarai
bioRxiv 149062; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/149062

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