Cooperation in Bacteria: Transfer of Cooperative Genes Means Success

http://guardianlv.com/2014/07/cooperation-in-bacteria-transfer-of-cooperative-genes-means-success/

Margaret Lutze on July 31, 2014

Cooperation among various species of bacteria as well as gene transfer have been known to occur, but a new study has shown that when both cooperative genes and “cheater” genes are transferred among bacteria, cooperation is favored. This study has provided yet another example of the importance of cooperation in living organisms. The fact that this example was shown in bacteria, which are the vestiges of the earliest forms of life on Earth, hints at the importance of cooperation in evolution.

Competition is known to be a driving force in evolution in some situations, however, cooperation can also be a driving force toward evolutionary advances. Cases of cooperation have been described as mutualistic symbiosis in an evolutionary setting. Mutualistic symbiosis is thought to have contributed to major transitions in the evolution of life. The complexity of ecosystems can be attributed to the development of many symbiotic relationships that create inter-relatedness among many plants and animals.

On the level of cells, many bacterial species have social relationships with each other and some produce “public good” molecules that help neighboring cells. The genes that are related to these behaviors are called cooperative genes. On the other hand, some bacteria are invaders to the system and are “cheaters” that only take the molecules for their own use and do not produce anything for others. The genes that are related to these cheating behaviors are called cheater genes.

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