Multistep diversification in spatiotemporal bacterial-phage coevolution.

ABSTRACT: The evolutionary arms race between phages and bacteria, where bacteria evolve resistance to phages and phages retaliate with resistance-countering mutations, is a major driving force of molecular innovation and genetic diversification. Yet attempting to reproduce such ongoing retaliation dynamics in the lab has been challenging; laboratory coevolution experiments of phage and bacteria are typically performed in well-mixed environments and often lead to rapid stagnation with little genetic variability. Here, co-culturing motile E. coli with the lytic bacteriophage T7 on swimming plates, we observe complex spatiotemporal dynamics with multiple genetically diversifying adaptive cycles. Systematically quantifying over 10,000 resistance-infectivity phenotypes between evolved bacteria and phage

SUBMITTER: Shaer Tamar E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9797572 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature