Microbial spatial self-organization and the spread of plasmid-encoded functional novelty

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

• David Johnson (None / Other)
• Thursday 13 October 2022, 11:00-11:35
• Seminar Room 1, Newton Institute.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact nobody.

UMCW06 - Microbial communities: current approaches and open challenges

Spatial self-organization, where different cell-types arrange themselves non-randomly across space, is a hallmark of surface-associated microbial communities. Metabolic interactions are an important determinant of the spatial self-organization process, where they direct the spatial positionings of individuals. We hypothesized here that these metabolic interaction-induced spatial positionings control the spread of plasmid-encoded functional novelty. Using a combination of experiments and individual-based computational simulations, I will illustrate how metabolic interaction-induced spatial positionings determine both the extent of plasmid transfer (HGT) and the proliferation of new cell-types after plasmid acquisition (VGT). I will also argue how these outcomes are important for predicting and controlling the fate of plasmid-encoded traits within surface-associated microbial communities. Finally, I will highlight new research gaps and propose future areas for scientific inquiry.

This talk is part of the Isaac Newton Institute Seminar Series series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• All CMS events
• Featured lists
• INI info aggregator
• Isaac Newton Institute Seminar Series
• School of Physical Sciences
• Seminar Room 1, Newton Institute
• bld31

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.