PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Sherin Kannoly AU - Abhyudai Singh AU - John J. Dennehy TI - An Optimal Lysis Time Maximizes Bacteriophage Fitness in Quasi-continuous Culture AID - 10.1101/2020.05.11.089508 DP - 2020 Jan 01 TA - bioRxiv PG - 2020.05.11.089508 4099 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/05/12/2020.05.11.089508.short 4100 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/05/12/2020.05.11.089508.full AB - Optimality models have a checkered history in evolutionary biology. While optimality models have been successful in providing valuable insight into the evolution of a wide variety of biological traits, a common objection is that optimality models are overly simplistic and ignore organismal genetics. We revisit evolutionary optimization in the context of a major bacteriophage life history trait, lysis time. Lysis time refers to the period spanning phage infection of a host cell and its lysis, whereupon phage progeny are released. Lysis time, therefore, directly determines phage fecundity assuming progeny assembly rate is maximized. Noting that previous tests of lysis time optimality rely on batch culture, we implemented a quasi-steady state system to observe productivity of a panel of isogenic phage λ mutants differing in lysis time. We report that λ phage productivity in our experiments is maximized around an optimal lysis time of 65 min, which is the lysis time of the λ “wildtype” strain. We discuss this finding in light of recent results that lysis time variation is also minimized in the λ “wildtype” strain.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.