Switches induced by quorum sensing in a model of enzyme-loaded microparticles
Switches induced by quorum sensing in a model of enzyme-loaded microparticles
Quorum sensing refers to the ability of bacteria and other single-celled organisms to respond to changes in cell density or number with population-wide changes in behaviour. Here, simulations were performed to investigate quorum sensing in groups of diffusively coupled enzyme microparticles using a well-characterized autocatalytic reaction which raises the pH of the medium: hydrolysis of urea by urease. The enzyme urease is found in both plants and microorganisms, and has been widely exploited in engineering processes. We demonstrate how increases in group size can be used to achieve a sigmoidal switch in pH at high enzyme loading, oscillations in pH at intermediate enzyme loading and a bistable, hysteretic switch at low enzyme loading. Thus, quorum sensing can be exploited to obtain different types of response in the same system, depending on the enzyme concentration. The implications for microorganisms in colonies are discussed, and the results could help in the design of synthetic quorum sensing for biotechnology applications such as drug delivery.
Bánsági, Tamás
7ddb096e-08bf-4c60-bdf8-6e2868047a2f
Taylor, Annette F.
08028a29-428d-4732-b6b1-f7a93389b386
31 March 2018
Bánsági, Tamás
7ddb096e-08bf-4c60-bdf8-6e2868047a2f
Taylor, Annette F.
08028a29-428d-4732-b6b1-f7a93389b386
Bánsági, Tamás and Taylor, Annette F.
(2018)
Switches induced by quorum sensing in a model of enzyme-loaded microparticles.
Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 15 (140).
(doi:10.1098/rsif.2017.0945).
Abstract
Quorum sensing refers to the ability of bacteria and other single-celled organisms to respond to changes in cell density or number with population-wide changes in behaviour. Here, simulations were performed to investigate quorum sensing in groups of diffusively coupled enzyme microparticles using a well-characterized autocatalytic reaction which raises the pH of the medium: hydrolysis of urea by urease. The enzyme urease is found in both plants and microorganisms, and has been widely exploited in engineering processes. We demonstrate how increases in group size can be used to achieve a sigmoidal switch in pH at high enzyme loading, oscillations in pH at intermediate enzyme loading and a bistable, hysteretic switch at low enzyme loading. Thus, quorum sensing can be exploited to obtain different types of response in the same system, depending on the enzyme concentration. The implications for microorganisms in colonies are discussed, and the results could help in the design of synthetic quorum sensing for biotechnology applications such as drug delivery.
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Accepted/In Press date: 15 February 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 7 March 2018
Published date: 31 March 2018
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Local EPrints ID: 499298
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/499298
ISSN: 1742-5689
PURE UUID: c5470222-effb-43de-b052-e71bb61ddbbe
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Date deposited: 14 Mar 2025 17:37
Last modified: 15 Mar 2025 03:14
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Author:
Tamás Bánsági
Author:
Annette F. Taylor
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