Dataset Information

The impact of bottlenecks on microbial survival, adaptation, and phenotypic switching in host-pathogen interactions.

ABSTRACT: Microbial pathogens and viruses can often maintain sufficient population diversity to evade a wide range of host immune responses. However, when populations experience bottlenecks, as occurs frequently during initiation of new infections, pathogens require specialized mechanisms to regenerate diversity. We address the evolution of such mechanisms, known as stochastic phenotype switches, which are prevalent in pathogenic bacteria. We analyze a model of pathogen diversification in a changing host environment that accounts for selective bottlenecks, wherein different phenotypes have distinct transmission probabilities between hosts. We show that under stringent bottlenecks, such that only one phenotype can initiate new infections, there exists a threshold stochastic switching rate below which all pathogen lineages go extinct, and above which survival is a near certainty. We determine how quickly stochastic switching rates can evolve by computing a fitness landscape for the evolutionary dynamics of switching rates, and analyzing its dependence on both the stringency of bottlenecks and the duration of within-host growth periods. We show that increasing the stringency of bottlenecks or decreasing the period of growth results in faster adaptation of switching rates. Our model provides strong theoretical evidence that bottlenecks play a critical role in accelerating the evolutionary dynamics of pathogens.

SUBMITTER: Moxon R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5722657 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The impact of bottlenecks on microbial survival, adaptation, and phenotypic switching in host-pathogen interactions.

Moxon Richard R Kussell Edo E

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution 20171030 12

Microbial pathogens and viruses can often maintain sufficient population diversity to evade a wide range of host immune responses. However, when populations experience bottlenecks, as occurs frequently during initiation of new infections, pathogens require specialized mechanisms to regenerate diversity. We address the evolution of such mechanisms, known as stochastic phenotype switches, which are prevalent in pathogenic bacteria. We analyze a model of pathogen diversification in a changing host ...[more]

PMID: 28983912

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Project description:The goal of this project is to understand the etiology and pathology of host-pathogen interaction using high-throughput cellular phenotyping. By combining the expertise in pathogen biology, informatics and stem cell biology across the institute, this project will use targeted genetic modification in mouse embryonic stem cells to identify functions of host genes in innate immunity. We will also explore the biology of mouse embryonic stem cells and their differentiation into immune competent cells. To this end we will generate homozygous and inducible knockout lines in mouse embryonic stem cells, which will be differentiated into immune competent cells, such as macrophages or dendritic cells. These will be subjected to a panel of immune challenge and stimulation assays to characterise the functions of the disrupted genes. To identify new functions for mammalian genes in innate immunity we will:\Generate a panel of homozygous inducible gene knockout mouse ES cell lines working from a list of ca. 80 candidate genes (MGP phenotyping and GWAS hits). \Scale up differentiation protocols for immune challenge and stimulation assays.\Benchmark in vitro differentiated ES cell models against primary immune cells from selected MGP mouse lines and eventually against human iPS cells.\Screen a panel of 30 genetically modified cell lines in immunological challenge and stimulation assays, defining phenotypes at the cellular level by high content imaging, biochemically by assaying cytokine production, and at the molecular level by transcriptome analysis.\Define novel gene functions in innate immunity through network analysis of gene expression data from all challenged cell lines.\In the longer term scale up the production and phenotyping of genetically modified cell lines (mouse or human as appropriate).This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/

Dataset Information

The impact of bottlenecks on microbial survival, adaptation, and phenotypic switching in host-pathogen interactions.

Publications

The impact of bottlenecks on microbial survival, adaptation, and phenotypic switching in host-pathogen interactions.

Similar Datasets

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