*********************************
There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
*********************************
Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses quorum sensing to regulate the excretion of public goods. In a mixed environment, cooperating individuals are susceptible to the invasion of non-cooperative social “cheats.” ΔlasR mutants do not quorum sense and cheat on wildtype Pa in liquid cultures, but it is unknown how spatial structure will prevent their invasion. We show in a spatially structured model that cell surface hydrophobicity and aggregate type impacts the sharing of public goods. Our results suggest that public goods are available only to select neighbors, which co-aggregate with cooperators based on cell surf ace hydrophobicity.
