Spatial coordination in a mutually beneficial bacterial community enhances its antibiotic resistance.

ABSTRACT: Microbial communities can survive in complex and variable environments by using different cooperative strategies. However, the behaviors of these mutuality formed communities remain poorly understood, particularly with regard to the characteristics of spatial cooperation. Here, we selected two Escherichia coli strains, designated as the nutrition provider and the antibiotic protector, respectively, for construction of a mutually beneficial bacterial community that could be used to study these behaviors. We found that in addition to the functional mutualism, the two strains also cooperated through their spatial distribution. Under antibiotic pressure, the bacterial distribution changed to yield different spatial distributions, which resulted in community growth advantages beyond func

SUBMITTER: Li L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6687750 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature