Evolution of parasitism and mutualism between filamentous phage M13 and Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: Background. How host-symbiont interactions coevolve between mutualism and parasitism depends on the ecology of the system and on the genetic and physiological constraints of the organisms involved. Theory often predicts that greater reliance on horizontal transmission favors increased costs of infection and may result in more virulent parasites or less beneficial mutualists. We set out to understand transitions between parasitism and mutualism by evolving the filamentous bacteriophage M13 and its host Escherichia coli. Results. The effect of phage M13 on bacterial fitness depends on the growth environment, and initial assays revealed that infected bacteria reproduce faster and to higher density than uninfected bacteria in 96-well microplates. These data suggested that M13 is, in fact, a fa

SUBMITTER: Shapiro JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4888304 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature