RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Phage mobility is a core determinant of phage-bacteria coexistence in biofilms
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 086462
DO 10.1101/086462
A1 Matthew Simmons
A1 Knut Drescher
A1 Carey D. Nadell
A1 Vanni Bucci
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/05/30/086462.abstract
AB Many bacteria are adapted for attaching to surfaces and for building complex communities, termed biofilms. The biofilm mode of life is predominant in bacterial ecology. So, too, is exposure of bacteria to ubiquitous viral pathogens, termed bacteriophages. Although biofilm-phage encounters are likely to be very common in nature, little is known about how phages might interact with biofilm-dwelling bacteria. It is also unclear how the ecological dynamics of phages and their hosts depend on the biological and physical properties of the biofilm environment. To make headway in this area, here we develop the first biofilm simulation framework that captures key features of biofilm growth and phage infection. Using these simulations, we find that the equilibrium state of interaction between biofilms and phages is governed largely by nutrient availability to biofilms, phage infection likelihood, and the ability of phages to diffuse through biofilm populations. Interactions between the biofilm matrix and phage particles are thus likely to be of fundamental importance, controlling the extent to which bacteria and phages can coexist in natural contexts. Our results open avenues to new questions of host-parasite coevolution in the spatially structured biofilm context.