Centre for Mathematical Biology, University of Oxford, UK.
Bull Math Biol. 2010 Jul;72(5):1143-65. doi: 10.1007/s11538-009-9485-8. Epub 2010 Feb 10.
In this paper, we study quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Quorum sensing is a process where bacteria monitor their population density through the release of extra-cellular signalling molecules. The presence of these molecules affects gene modulation leading to changes in behaviour such as the release of virulence factors. Here, we use numerical methods to approximate a 2-D model of quorum sensing. It is observed that the shape of the biofilm can have a profound effect on the onset of quorum sensing. This has serious repercussions for experimental observations since biofilms of the same biomass but different shapes can produce quite different results.
在本文中，我们研究了铜绿假单胞菌生物膜中的群体感应现象。群体感应是一种细菌通过释放细胞外信号分子来监测其种群密度的过程。这些分子的存在会影响基因调控，导致行为变化，例如毒力因子的释放。在这里，我们使用数值方法来逼近群体感应的二维模型。研究表明，生物膜的形状对群体感应的发生有深远的影响。这对实验观察有严重的影响，因为具有相同生物量但形状不同的生物膜可能会产生截然不同的结果。
