A Game of Life with dormancy

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 292(2039)

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

The factors contributing to the persistence and stability of life are fundamental for understanding complex living systems. Organisms commonly challenged by harsh fluctuating environments that suboptimal growth reproduction, which can lead extinction. Many species contend with unfavourable noisy conditions entering a reversible state reduced metabolic activity, phenomenon known as dormancy. Here, we develop Spore Life, model investigate effects dormancy on population dynamics. It is based Conway’s Game Life (GoL), deterministic cellular automaton where simple rules govern an individual its neighbours. For individuals would otherwise die, provides refuge in form inactive state. These dormant (spores) resuscitate when local improve. includes parameter α ∈ [ 0,1 form="postfix" stretchy="false">] controls survival probability spores, interpolating between GoL ( = 0 ) 1 ), while capturing stochastic dynamics intermediate regime < ). In addition identifying emergence unique periodic configurations, find spore increases average number active buffers populations from Contrary expectations, stabilization not result large long-lived seed bank. Instead, demographic patterns only require small resuscitation events. Our approach yields novel insight into what minimally required origins behaviours associated banks they generate.

Language: Английский

Resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf) terminates dormancy among diverse soil bacteria

mSystems, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 16, 2025

ABSTRACT Microorganisms often inhabit environments that are suboptimal for growth and reproduction. To survive when challenged by such conditions, individuals engage in dormancy, where they enter a metabolically inactive state. For this persistence strategy to confer an evolutionary advantage, microorganisms must be able resuscitate reproduce conditions improve. Among bacteria the phylum Actinomycetota, dormancy can terminated resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf), exoenzyme hydrolyzes glycosidic bonds peptidoglycan of cell walls. We characterized Rpf from Micrococcus KBS0714, bacterium isolated agricultural soil. The protein exhibited high substrate affinity vitro , even though resuscitation was maximized live-cell assays at micromolar concentrations. Site-directed mutations conserved catalytic sites significantly reduced or eliminated resuscitation, as did deletion repeating motifs lectin-encoding linker region. then tested effects recombinant KBS0714 on diverse set dormant soil bacteria. Patterns mapped onto strain phylogeny, which reflected core features envelope. Additionally, direction magnitude effect were associated with functional traits, particular, aspects moisture niche biofilm production, critical understanding microbial populations soils. These findings expand our how may affect seed bank dynamics implications diversity functioning terrestrial ecosystems. IMPORTANCE Dormancy is process whereby reversible state metabolic activity. In fluctuating environments, protects unfavorable enhancing fitness buffering against extinction. However, waking up yet risky decision. Some stochastically, while others rely environmental cues signals neighboring cells transition back active growth. Resuscitation-promoting (Rpf) cleaves bacterial walls, facilitating termination enabling regrowth. Although family proteins has been well model organisms clinically relevant strains, study characterizes examines its across collection bacteria, linking it traits influence both natural managed

Language: Английский