Spatial sensing as a strategy for public goods regulation by gut microbes.

ABSTRACT: The gut microbiota has evolved in a complex, spatially structured environment, where microbial interactions are shaped by host-secreted molecules. We propose the spatial sensing (SS) hypothesis, which posits that gut microbes regulate costly cooperative traits, such as public goods, based on their proximity to the epithelial layer. First, we explore the evolutionary dynamics and selective pressures that could drive the emergence of SS. We then outline the spatial organization of the gut microbiota, emphasizing diffusion gradients of host-secreted molecules that may serve as positional cues. Depending on the cost-benefit ratio of secreting public goods near the epithelium, we propose two SS regulatory strategies: SS Type I, where production is suppressed in high-cost, low-benefit conditions

SUBMITTER: Hashem I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12551461 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature