PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Division of labor in the test tube

Bacteria grow faster if they feed each other

2013-12-02
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Dr. Christian Kost
ckost@ice.mpg.de
49-364-157-1212
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Division of labor in the test tube Bacteria grow faster if they feed each other

This news release is available in German.

The division of labor is more efficient than a struggle through life without help from others – this is also true for microorganisms. Researchers from Research Group Experimental Ecology and Evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology and their colleagues at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany came to this conclusion when they performed experiments with microbes. The scientists worked with bacteria that were deficient in the production of a certain amino acid and therefore depended on a partner to provide the missing nutrient. Bacterial strains that complemented each other's need by providing the required amino acid showed a fitness increase of about 20% relative to a non-deficient strain without partner. This result helps to explain why cooperation is such a widespread model of success in nature. (The ISME Journal, 28 November 2013, DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2013.211)

Ecology and evolution: close relatives

Each life form on our planet has to adapt to its environment as good as it can. Apart from getting used to climate conditions and food supply, each species must get along with other organisms in the habitat. In the course of evolution species adapt continuously to each other and to the environment by changing their genetic features. This is why cold resistant species live at the poles and heat resistant species in the deserts. Also nutritional needs and metabolic regulation underlie the principle of evolution. So let's take a look at the world of microbes in this context!

Microbial communities

"No matter where you look: Microbial communities can be found in almost every habitat you can think of," says Christian Kost, leader of the research group "Experimental Ecology and Evolution" at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany. Microbes often live in symbiosis with higher organisms, but they also cooperate with each other in order to optimally utilize the resources that are available to them. Interestingly, a look at the genome of cooperating bacterial strains shows that some of them are unable to perform all vital metabolic functions on their own. Instead, they rely on their cooperative partner. Their environment, that is to say other organisms, provides the nutrients they cannot produce themselves anymore. However, the result of the cooperation is a risky dependency: If one partner is lost, the other dies as well. Can such a dependency in fact be a trait that is selected for and which is maintained for a longer period in a bacterial population? Is this assumption compatible with Darwin's theory of the "survival of the fittest"? If so, cooperating partners should perform as good or even better than microbes without partner in terms of fitness.

Synthetic Ecology: simulating ecological parameters in a test tube

To bring a naturally evolved symbiotic community from the real world into the lab to study such cooperation, is often very difficult. Therefore, scientists used a synthetic model: Escherichia coli bacteria were genetically modified in such a way that one bacterial strain was unable to produce a certain amino acid anymore, such as tryptophan, but produced all other amino acids in high concentrations. If this strain grows in a culture with another strain unable to produce arginine, another amino acid, both strains are able to feed each other. Amazingly, such co-culture experiments showed that the growth of these bacterial cells was increased by 20% in comparison to the unmodified wild-type strain that was able to produce all essential amino acid by itself. The inability of the deficient strain to produce an essential amino acid had a positive effect on its growth when a partner was present that compensated this loss. This can be explained by the considerably reduced energy costs both strains had to invest for producing the exchanged amino acids. Specializing on the production of certain, but not all necessary amino acids made the bacterial cells more efficient and thus resulted in faster growth. Interestingly, the two cooperating, amino acid exchanging strains even outcompeted a self-sustaining wild-type strain.

The research results from Christian Kost's lab illustrate why symbiotic relationships with bacteria are so prevalent. In the course of evolution, an association may get so close that the mutualistic partners merge into a new, multicellular organism.



INFORMATION:

The research project was funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, the Jena School for Microbial Communication, the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia as well as Siemens SA Portugal. [JWK/AO]

Original Publication:

Pande, S., Merker, H., Bohl, K., Reichelt, M., Schuster, S., de Figueiredo, L., Kaleta, C., Kost, C. (2013). Fitness and stability of obligate cross-feeding interactions that emerge upon gene loss in bacteria. The ISME Journal. Advance online publication 28 November 2013; doi: 10.1038/ismej.2013.211 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2013.211

Further Information:

Dr. Christian Kost, +49 3641 57-1212, ckost@ice.mpg.de

Contact and picture requests:

Angela Overmeyer M.A., MPI for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, 07743 Jena, + 49 3641 57-2110, overmeyer@ice.mpg.de

Download of high resolution pictures on http://www.ice.mpg.de/ext/735.html



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Amplifying our vision of the infinitely small

2013-12-02
Amplifying our vision of the infinitely small Discovery by Richard Martel and his team on Raman signals published in Nature Photonics Richard Martel and his research team at the Department of Chemistry of the Université de Montréal have discovered a method ...

Study shows reforestation in Lower Mississippi Valley reduces sediment

2013-12-02
Study shows reforestation in Lower Mississippi Valley reduces sediment A modeling study by U.S. Forest Service researchers shows that reforesting the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley can significantly reduce runoff from agricultural lands ...

New algorithm finds you, even in untagged photos

2013-12-02
New algorithm finds you, even in untagged photos TORONTO, ON – A new algorithm designed at the University of Toronto has the power to profoundly change the way we find photos among the billions on social media sites such as Facebook and Flickr. This month, ...

New UK study suggests low vitamin D causes damage to brain

2013-12-02
New UK study suggests low vitamin D causes damage to brain LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 2, 2013) — A new study led by University of Kentucky researchers suggests that a diet low in vitamin D causes damage to the brain. In addition to being essential for maintaining bone ...

Can big cats co-exist? Study challenges lion threat to cheetah cubs

2013-12-02
Can big cats co-exist? Study challenges lion threat to cheetah cubs New research into cheetah cub survival has refuted the theory that lions are a cub's main predator and that big cats cannot coexist in conservation areas. The study, published in the Journal of Zoology, ...

A method to predict Alzheimer's disease within 2 years of screening

2013-12-02
A method to predict Alzheimer's disease within 2 years of screening This news release is available in French. At the first signs of memory loss, most people start worrying and wonder, "What if I have Alzheimer's disease?" And yet, the disease ...

Increased risk for cardiac ischemia in patients with PTSD

2013-12-02
Increased risk for cardiac ischemia in patients with PTSD Reports a new study in Biological Psychiatry Philadelphia, PA, December 2, 2013 – There is growing concern that long-term untreated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms may increase the risk of developing ...

US mothers from 1965 to 2010: more TV, less housework

2013-12-02
US mothers from 1965 to 2010: more TV, less housework New research from the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health shows that mothers in the U.S. are far less physically active than they were in previous decades and now spend more ...

Goals affect feelings of pride and shame after success and failure

2013-12-02
Goals affect feelings of pride and shame after success and failure When the St. Louis Cardinals lost the World Series, just how much shame did the players feel? According to researchers at Penn State and Australia's Central Queensland University, a person's goals at the outset of ...

When aluminum outshines gold

2013-12-02
When aluminum outshines gold 2 Rice University studies detail aluminum's valuable plasmonic properties HOUSTON – (Dec. 2, 2013) – Humble aluminum's plasmonic properties may make it far more valuable than gold and silver for certain applications, according to new research by ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Heat and heavy metals are changing the way that bees buzz

What’s behind the enormous increase in early-onset gastrointestinal cancers?

Pharmacogenomics expert advances precision medicine for bipolar disorder

Brazilian researcher explores centenarian stem cells for aging insights

Dr. Xuyu Qian's breakthrough analysis of 18 million brain cells advances understanding of human brain development

Gene networks decode human brain architecture from health to glioma

How artificial light at night damages brain health and metabolism

For ultrasound, ultra-strength not always a good thing

Matching your workouts to your personality could make exercising more enjoyable and give you better results

Study shows people perceive biodiversity

Personality type can predict which forms of exercise people enjoy

People can accurately judge biodiversity through sight and sound

People diagnosed with dementia are living longer, global study shows

When domesticated rabbits go feral, new morphologies emerge

Rain events could cause major failure of Waikīkī storm drainage by 2050

Breakthrough in upconversion luminescence research: Uncovering the energy back transfer mechanism

Hidden role of 'cell protector' opens cancer treatment possibilities

How plants build the microbiome they need to survive in a tough environment

Depression due to politics and its quiet danger to democracy addressed in new book 'The Sad Citizen'

International experts and patients unite to help ensure all patients are fully informed before consenting to new surgical procedures

Melting glaciers could trigger more explosive eruptions globally, finds research

Nearly half of U.S. grandchildren live within 10 miles of a grandparent

Study demonstrates low-cost method to remove CO₂ from air using cold temperatures, common materials

Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI) welcomes 13 students to prestigious Summer Fellowship program

Mass timber could elevate hospital construction

A nuanced model of soil moisture illuminates plant behavior and climate patterns

$2.6 million NIH grant backs search for genetic cure in deadly heart disease

Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis program changed drastically when anxiety was added as a qualifying condition

1 in 5 overweight adults could be reclassified with obesity according to new framework

Findings of study on how illegally manufactured fentanyl enters U.S. contradict common assumptions, undermining efforts to control supply

[Press-News.org] Division of labor in the test tube
Bacteria grow faster if they feed each other