In:
Scientific Reports, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Vol. 6, No. 1 ( 2016-10-13)
Abstract:
As understanding of bacterial regulatory systems and pathogenesis continues to increase, QSI has been a major focus of research. However, recent studies have shown that mechanisms of resistance to quorum sensing (QS) inhibitors (QSIs) exist, calling into question their clinical value. We propose a computational framework that considers bacteria genotypes relative to QS genes and QS-regulated products including private, quasi-public, and public goods according to their impacts on bacterial fitness. Our results show (1) QSI resistance spreads when QS positively regulates the expression of private or quasi-public goods. (2) Resistance to drugs targeting secreted compounds downstream of QS for a mix of private, public, and quasi-public goods also spreads. (3) Changing the micro-environment during treatment with QSIs may decrease the spread of resistance. At fundamental-level, our simulation framework allows us to directly quantify cell-cell interactions and biofilm dynamics. Practically, the model provides a valuable tool for the study of QSI-based therapies, and the simulations reveal experimental paths that may guide QSI-based therapies in a manner that avoids or decreases the spread of QSI resistance.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2045-2322
Language:
English
Publisher:
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication Date:
2016
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2615211-3
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