Cooperation and conflict in quorum-sensing bacterial populations.

Journal article

It has been suggested that bacterial cells communicate by releasing and sensing small diffusible signal molecules in a process commonly known as quorum sensing (QS). It is generally assumed that QS is used to coordinate cooperative behaviours at the population level. However, evolutionary theory predicts that individuals who communicate and cooperate can be exploited. Here we examine the social evolution of QS experimentally in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and show that ...

Expand abstract

Authors: Diggle, S; Griffin, A; Campbell, G; West, SA

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Nature
• Volume: 450
• Issue: 7168
• Pages: 411-414
• Publication date: 2007-11-01
• DOI: 10.1038/nature06279
• EISSN: 1476-4687
• ISSN: 0028-0836
• Language: English
• Keywords: Quorum Sensing; Animals; Colony Count, Microbial; Models, Biological; Humans; Pseudomonas aeruginosa