Impact of Rap-Phr system abundance on adaptation of Bacillus subtilis

Gallegos-Monterrosa, R.; Nordgaard Christensen, M.; Barchewitz, T.; Koeppenhoefer, S.; Priyadarshini, B.; Balint, B.; Maroti, G.; Kempen, P. J.; Dragos, A.; Kovacs, A. T.

doi:10.1101/2020.09.01.278184

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.09.01.278184

Impact of Rap-Phr system abundance on adaptation of Bacillus subtilis

Gallegos-Monterrosa, R.·Nordgaard Christensen, M.·Barchewitz, T.·Koeppenhoefer, S.·Priyadarshini, B.·Balint, B.·Maroti, G.·Kempen, P. J.·Dragos, A.·Kovacs, A. T.

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Abstract

Microbes commonly display great genetic plasticity, which has allowed them to colonize all ecological niches on Earth. Bacillus subtilis is a soil-dwelling organism that can be isolated from a wide variety of environments. An interesting characteristic of this bacterium is its ability to form biofilms that display complex heterogeneity: individual, clonal cells develop diverse phenotypes in response to different environmental conditions within the biofilm. Here, we scrutinized the impact that the number and variety of the Rap-Phr family of regulators and cell-cell communication modules of B. subtilis has on genetic adaptation and evolution. We examine how the Rap family of phosphatase regulators impacts sporulation in diverse niches using a library of single and double rap-phr mutants in competition under 4 distinct growth conditions. Using specific DNA barcodes and whole-genome sequencing, population dynamics were followed, revealing the impact of individual Rap phosphatases and arising mutations on the adaptability of B. subtilis.

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Gallegos-Monterrosa, R., Nordgaard Christensen, M., Barchewitz, T., Koeppenhoefer, S., Priyadarshini, B., Balint, B., Maroti, G., Kempen, P. J., Dragos, A., Kovacs, A. T.. 2020-09-01. Impact of Rap-Phr system abundance on adaptation of Bacillus subtilis. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.09.01.278184

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