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Dynamics of an insertion sequence infection in a spatially structured environment


Bichsel, Manuel; Barbour, A D; Wagner, Andreas (2018). Dynamics of an insertion sequence infection in a spatially structured environment. Journal of Biological Systems, 26(01):133-166.

Abstract

Bacterial insertion sequences (ISs), the simplest form of autonomous mobile DNA, depend on their prokaryote hosts to spread in a spatially structured environment. We use a spatially explicit metapopulation model to simulate the spread of an IS that can have both detrimental and beneficial effects on its host cell. We find that, on the one hand, the spatial structure of the metapopulation and cell dispersal between subpopulations have no strong effect on the time to full infection of the metapopulation. On the other hand, factors that influence the IS infection dynamics within a subpopulation have a strong effect on that time. These factors are mainly the fitness benefit of an IS and the rate of horizontal gene transfer. We also find that the infection process of a metapopulation is very erratic in its early phase. Finally, we show that the infection’s success depends critically on the initially infected subpopulation.

Abstract

Bacterial insertion sequences (ISs), the simplest form of autonomous mobile DNA, depend on their prokaryote hosts to spread in a spatially structured environment. We use a spatially explicit metapopulation model to simulate the spread of an IS that can have both detrimental and beneficial effects on its host cell. We find that, on the one hand, the spatial structure of the metapopulation and cell dispersal between subpopulations have no strong effect on the time to full infection of the metapopulation. On the other hand, factors that influence the IS infection dynamics within a subpopulation have a strong effect on that time. These factors are mainly the fitness benefit of an IS and the rate of horizontal gene transfer. We also find that the infection process of a metapopulation is very erratic in its early phase. Finally, we show that the infection’s success depends critically on the initially infected subpopulation.

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Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:07 Faculty of Science > Institute of Mathematics
07 Faculty of Science > Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies
Dewey Decimal Classification:510 Mathematics
Scopus Subject Areas:Physical Sciences > Ecology
Life Sciences > Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)
Physical Sciences > Applied Mathematics
Language:English
Date:19 March 2018
Deposited On:15 Nov 2018 13:31
Last Modified:30 Nov 2023 08:00
Publisher:World Scientific Publishing
ISSN:0218-3390
OA Status:Green
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1142/s0218339018500079
  • Content: Accepted Version
  • Language: English