B. Subtilis stress responses: a game theoretic analysis

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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.