B. Subtilis stress responses: a game theoretic analysis

在受环境胁迫的基因相同的细菌群体中，经常观察到群体异质性。进化起源和表观遗传多样化的分子机制尚不清楚。我们假设多样化对微生物的长期生存很重要。事实上，这可能是一种最优策略，除非细胞对其环境有完美的信息，并且可以以很少的代价切换状态。本研究的目的是：1)建立枯草芽孢杆菌应激反应部署的博弈论解释，重点关注孢子形成、dna转化能力、降解酶合成和鞭毛运动之间的相互作用；2)分析控制这些应激反应的调控网络模型。这项工作是合作努力的一部分，旨在通过结合计算和实验方法，在系统层面了解枯草芽孢杆菌的应激反应。在未来，这里开发的博弈论模型可用于优化培养方案，并发现细菌感染后药物治疗的新策略。

Population heterogeneity is frequently observed in populations of genetically identical bacteria subject to environmental stress. The evolutionary origin and the molecular mechanisms underlying epigenetic diversification are poorly understood. We hypothesize that diversification is important to long-term microbial survival. In fact, it is presumably an optimal strategy unless cells have perfect information about their environment and can switch states with little costs. The aims of this study are 1) to develop a game-theoretic interpretation of B. subtilis stress response deployment, focusing on the interplay between sporulation, competence for DNA-transformation, degradative enzyme synthesis and flagellar motility; and 2) to analyse regulatory network models controlling these stress responses. This work is part of a collaborate effort aimed at a system level understanding of B. subtilis stress responses by combining computational and experimental approaches. In the future, the game-theoretic models to be developed here could be used to optimize cultivation protocols and to uncover novel strategies for drug treatment after bacterial infections.