Cutting through the complexity of cell collectives

Authored by Simon A Levin, Vanni Bucci, Carey D Nadell, Bonnie L Bassler, Knut Drescher, Joao B Xavier

Date Published: 2013

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2770

Sponsors: United States Defense Advanced Research Planning Agency (DARPA) United States National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Platforms: No platforms listed

Model Documentation: Other Narrative

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

Via strength in numbers, groups of cells can influence their environments in ways that individual cells cannot. Large-scale structural patterns and collective functions underpinning virulence, tumour growth and bacterial biofilm formation are emergent properties of coupled physical and biological processes within cell groups. Owing to the abundance of factors influencing cell group behaviour, deriving general principles about them is a daunting challenge. We argue that combining mechanistic theory with theoretical ecology and evolution provides a key strategy for clarifying how cell groups form, how they change in composition over time, and how they interact with their environments. Here, we review concepts that are critical for dissecting the complexity of cell collectives, including dimensionless parameter groups, individual-based modelling and evolutionary theory. We then use this hybrid modelling approach to provide an example analysis of the evolution of cooperative enzyme secretion in bacterial biofilms.

Tags

Dynamics Decision-Making social evolution Populations Escherichia-coli Bacterial biofilms Pseudomonas-aeruginosa Microbial cooperation Genetic drift Group models