1
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Oszoli I, Zachar I. Group-selection via aggregative propagule-formation enables cooperative multicellularity in an individual based, spatial model. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1012107. [PMID: 38713735 PMCID: PMC11101088 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The emergence of multicellularity is one of the major transitions in evolution that happened multiple times independently. During aggregative multicellularity, genetically potentially unrelated lineages cooperate to form transient multicellular groups. Unlike clonal multicellularity, aggregative multicellular organisms do not rely on kin selection instead other mechanisms maintain cooperation against cheater phenotypes that benefit from cooperators but do not contribute to groups. Spatiality with limited diffusion can facilitate group selection, as interactions among individuals are restricted to local neighbourhoods only. Selection for larger size (e.g. avoiding predation) may facilitate the emergence of aggregation, though it is unknown, whether and how much role such selection played during the evolution of aggregative multicellularity. We have investigated the effect of spatiality and the necessity of predation on the stability of aggregative multicellularity via individual-based modelling on the ecological timescale. We have examined whether aggregation facilitates the survival of cooperators in a temporally heterogeneous environment against cheaters, where only a subset of the population is allowed to periodically colonize a new, resource-rich habitat. Cooperators constitutively produce adhesive molecules to promote aggregation and propagule-formation while cheaters spare this expense to grow faster but cannot aggregate on their own, hence depending on cooperators for long-term survival. We have compared different population-level reproduction modes with and without individual selection (predation) to evaluate the different hypotheses. In a temporally homogeneous environment without propagule-based colonization, cheaters always win. Predation can benefit cooperators, but it is not enough to maintain the necessary cooperator amount in successive dispersals, either randomly or by fragmentation. Aggregation-based propagation however can ensure the adequate ratio of cooperators-to-cheaters in the propagule and is sufficient to do so even without predation. Spatiality combined with temporal heterogeneity helps cooperators via group selection, thus facilitating aggregative multicellularity. External stress selecting for larger size (e.g. predation) may facilitate aggregation, however, according to our results, it is neither necessary nor sufficient for aggregative multicellularity to be maintained when there is effective group-selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- István Oszoli
- Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - István Zachar
- Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- HUN-REN Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary
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2
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Pentz JT, MacGillivray K, DuBose JG, Conlin PL, Reinhardt E, Libby E, Ratcliff WC. Evolutionary consequences of nascent multicellular life cycles. eLife 2023; 12:e84336. [PMID: 37889142 PMCID: PMC10611430 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
A key step in the evolutionary transition to multicellularity is the origin of multicellular groups as biological individuals capable of adaptation. Comparative work, supported by theory, suggests clonal development should facilitate this transition, although this hypothesis has never been tested in a single model system. We evolved 20 replicate populations of otherwise isogenic clonally reproducing 'snowflake' yeast (Δace2/∆ace2) and aggregative 'floc' yeast (GAL1p::FLO1 /GAL1p::FLO1) with daily selection for rapid growth in liquid media, which favors faster cell division, followed by selection for rapid sedimentation, which favors larger multicellular groups. While both genotypes adapted to this regime, growing faster and having higher survival during the group-selection phase, there was a stark difference in evolutionary dynamics. Aggregative floc yeast obtained nearly all their increased fitness from faster growth, not improved group survival; indicating that selection acted primarily at the level of cells. In contrast, clonal snowflake yeast mainly benefited from higher group-dependent fitness, indicating a shift in the level of Darwinian individuality from cells to groups. Through genome sequencing and mathematical modeling, we show that the genetic bottlenecks in a clonal life cycle also drive much higher rates of genetic drift-a result with complex implications for this evolutionary transition. Our results highlight the central role that early multicellular life cycles play in the process of multicellular adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kathryn MacGillivray
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - James G DuBose
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Peter L Conlin
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Emma Reinhardt
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel HillUnited States
| | | | - William C Ratcliff
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
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3
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Vroomans RMA, Colizzi ES. Evolution of selfish multicellularity: collective organisation of individual spatio-temporal regulatory strategies. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:35. [PMID: 37468829 PMCID: PMC10357660 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02133-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The unicellular ancestors of modern-day multicellular organisms were remarkably complex. They had an extensive set of regulatory and signalling genes, an intricate life cycle and could change their behaviour in response to environmental changes. At the transition to multicellularity, some of these behaviours were co-opted to organise the development of the nascent multicellular organism. Here, we focus on the transition to multicellularity before the evolution of stable cell differentiation, to reveal how the emergence of clusters affects the evolution of cell behaviour. RESULTS We construct a computational model of a population of cells that can evolve the regulation of their behavioural state - either division or migration - and study both a unicellular and a multicellular context. Cells compete for reproduction and for resources to survive in a seasonally changing environment. We find that the evolution of multicellularity strongly determines the co-evolution of cell behaviour, by altering the competition dynamics between cells. When adhesion cannot evolve, cells compete for survival by rapidly migrating towards resources before dividing. When adhesion evolves, emergent collective migration alleviates the pressure on individual cells to reach resources. This allows individual cells to maximise their own replication. Migrating adhesive clusters display striking patterns of spatio-temporal cell state changes that visually resemble animal development. CONCLUSIONS Our model demonstrates how emergent selection pressures at the onset of multicellularity can drive the evolution of cellular behaviour to give rise to developmental patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renske M A Vroomans
- Informatics Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Origins Center, Groningen, Netherlands.
- Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Enrico Sandro Colizzi
- Origins Center, Groningen, Netherlands
- Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
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4
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Cornwallis CK, Svensson-Coelho M, Lindh M, Li Q, Stábile F, Hansson LA, Rengefors K. Single-cell adaptations shape evolutionary transitions to multicellularity in green algae. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:889-902. [PMID: 37081145 PMCID: PMC10250200 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02044-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of multicellular life has played a pivotal role in shaping biological diversity. However, we know surprisingly little about the natural environmental conditions that favour the formation of multicellular groups. Here we experimentally examine how key environmental factors (predation, nitrogen and water turbulence) combine to influence multicellular group formation in 35 wild unicellular green algae strains (19 Chlorophyta species). All environmental factors induced the formation of multicellular groups (more than four cells), but there was no evidence this was adaptive, as multicellularity (% cells in groups) was not related to population growth rate under any condition. Instead, population growth was related to extracellular matrix (ECM) around single cells and palmelloid formation, a unicellular life-cycle stage where two to four cells are retained within a mother-cell wall after mitosis. ECM production increased with nitrogen levels resulting in more cells being in palmelloids and higher rates of multicellular group formation. Examining the distribution of 332 algae species across 478 lakes monitored over 55 years, showed that ECM and nitrogen availability also predicted patterns of obligate multicellularity in nature. Our results highlight that adaptations of unicellular organisms to cope with environmental challenges may be key to understanding evolutionary routes to multicellular life.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Markus Lindh
- Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Västra Frölunda, Sweden
| | - Qinyang Li
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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5
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Barrere J, Nanda P, Murray AW. Alternating selection for dispersal and multicellularity favors regulated life cycles. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1809-1817.e3. [PMID: 37019107 PMCID: PMC10175205 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.03.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of complex multicellularity opened paths to increased morphological diversity and organizational novelty. This transition involved three processes: cells remained attached to one another to form groups, cells within these groups differentiated to perform different tasks, and the groups evolved new reproductive strategies.1,2,3,4,5 Recent experiments identified selective pressures and mutations that can drive the emergence of simple multicellularity and cell differentiation,6,7,8,9,10,11 but the evolution of life cycles, particularly how simple multicellular forms reproduce, has been understudied. The selective pressure and mechanisms that produced a regular alternation between single cells and multicellular collectives are still unclear.12 To probe the factors regulating simple multicellular life cycles, we examined a collection of wild isolates of the budding yeast S. cerevisiae.12,13 We found that all these strains can exist as multicellular clusters, a phenotype that is controlled by the mating-type locus and strongly influenced by the nutritional environment. Inspired by this variation, we engineered inducible dispersal in a multicellular laboratory strain and demonstrated that a regulated life cycle has an advantage over constitutively single-celled or constitutively multicellular life cycles when the environment alternates between favoring intercellular cooperation (a low sucrose concentration) and dispersal (a patchy environment generated by emulsion). Our results suggest that the separation of mother and daughter cells is under selection in wild isolates and is regulated by their genetic composition and the environments they encounter and that alternating patterns of resource availability may have played a role in the evolution of life cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Barrere
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Piyush Nanda
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Andrew W Murray
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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6
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Isaksson H, Brännström Å, Libby E. Minor variations in multicellular life cycles have major effects on adaptation. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010698. [PMID: 37083675 PMCID: PMC10156057 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Multicellularity has evolved several independent times over the past hundreds of millions of years and given rise to a wide diversity of complex life. Recent studies have found that large differences in the fundamental structure of early multicellular life cycles can affect fitness and influence multicellular adaptation. Yet, there is an underlying assumption that at some scale or categorization multicellular life cycles are similar in terms of their adaptive potential. Here, we consider this possibility by exploring adaptation in a class of simple multicellular life cycles of filamentous organisms that only differ in one respect, how many daughter filaments are produced. We use mathematical models and evolutionary simulations to show that despite the similarities, qualitatively different mutations fix. In particular, we find that mutations with a tradeoff between cell growth and group survival, i.e. "selfish" or "altruistic" traits, spread differently. Specifically, altruistic mutations more readily spread in life cycles that produce few daughters while in life cycles producing many daughters either type of mutation can spread depending on the environment. Our results show that subtle changes in multicellular life cycles can fundamentally alter adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Isaksson
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- IceLab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Åke Brännström
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- IceLab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Advancing Systems Analysis Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria
- Complexity Science and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Kunigami, Japan
| | - Eric Libby
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- IceLab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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7
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Belpaire TER, Pešek J, Lories B, Verstrepen KJ, Steenackers HP, Ramon H, Smeets B. Permissive aggregative group formation favors coexistence between cooperators and defectors in yeast. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:2305-2312. [PMID: 35778439 PMCID: PMC9477849 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01275-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the FLO1 gene encodes flocculins that lead to formation of multicellular flocs, that offer protection to the constituent cells. Flo1p was found to preferentially bind to fellow cooperators compared to defectors lacking FLO1 expression, enriching cooperators within the flocs. Given this dual function in cooperation and kin recognition, FLO1 has been termed a "green beard gene". Because of the heterophilic nature of the Flo1p bond however, we hypothesize that kin recognition is permissive and depends on the relative stability of the FLO1+/flo1- versus FLO1+/FLO1+ detachment force F. We combine single-cell measurements of adhesion, individual cell-based simulations of cluster formation, and in vitro flocculation to study the impact of relative bond stability on the evolutionary stability of cooperation. We identify a trade-off between both aspects of the green beard mechanism, with reduced relative bond stability leading to increased kin recognition at the expense of cooperative benefits. We show that the fitness of FLO1 cooperators decreases as their frequency in the population increases, arising from the observed permissive character (F+- = 0.5 F++) of the Flo1p bond. Considering the costs associated with FLO1 expression, this asymmetric selection often results in a stable coexistence between cooperators and defectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom E R Belpaire
- Division of Mechatronics, Biostatistics, and Sensors, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium.
- Centre for Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Jiří Pešek
- Team SIMBIOTX, Inria Saclay, 91120, Palaiseau, France
| | - Bram Lories
- Centre for Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kevin J Verstrepen
- Centre for Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Systems Biology, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hans P Steenackers
- Centre for Microbial and Plant Genetics, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Herman Ramon
- Division of Mechatronics, Biostatistics, and Sensors, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Smeets
- Division of Mechatronics, Biostatistics, and Sensors, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
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8
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Adiba S, Forget M, De Monte S. Evolving social behaviour through selection of single-cell adhesion in Dictyostelium discoideum. iScience 2022; 25:105006. [PMID: 36105585 PMCID: PMC9464967 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum commonly forms chimeric fruiting bodies. Genetic variants that produce a higher proportion of spores are predicted to undercut multicellular organization unless cooperators assort positively. Cell adhesion is considered a primary factor driving such assortment, but evolution of adhesion has not been experimentally connected to changes in social performance. We modified by experimental evolution the efficiency of individual cells in attaching to a surface. Surprisingly, evolution appears to have produced social cooperators irrespective of whether stronger or weaker adhesion was selected. Quantification of reproductive success, cell-cell adhesion, and developmental patterns, however, revealed two distinct social behaviors, as captured when the classical metric for social success is generalized by considering clonal spore production. Our work shows that cell mechanical interactions can constrain the evolution of development and sociality in chimeras and that elucidation of proximate mechanisms is necessary to understand the ultimate emergence of multicellular organization. Cooperative behavior evolved as a pleiotropic effect of selection for surface adhesion Multicellular development of evolved lines with the ancestor follows two different paths A metric of social behavior including clonal development differentiates these two paths
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Adiba
- Institut de Biologie de l’ENS (IBENS), Département de biologie, Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France
- Corresponding author
| | - Mathieu Forget
- Institut de Biologie de l’ENS (IBENS), Département de biologie, Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France
- Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Silvia De Monte
- Institut de Biologie de l’ENS (IBENS), Département de biologie, Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France
- Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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9
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Schwartzman JA, Ebrahimi A, Chadwick G, Sato Y, Roller BRK, Orphan VJ, Cordero OX. Bacterial growth in multicellular aggregates leads to the emergence of complex life cycles. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3059-3069.e7. [PMID: 35777363 PMCID: PMC9496226 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Facultative multicellular behaviors expand the metabolic capacity and physiological resilience of bacteria. Despite their ubiquity in nature, we lack an understanding of how these behaviors emerge from cellular-scale phenomena. Here, we show how the coupling between growth and resource gradient formation leads to the emergence of multicellular lifecycles in a marine bacterium. Under otherwise carbon-limited growth conditions, Vibrio splendidus 12B01 forms clonal multicellular groups to collectively harvest carbon from soluble polymers of the brown-algal polysaccharide alginate. As they grow, groups phenotypically differentiate into two spatially distinct sub-populations: a static "shell" surrounding a motile, carbon-storing "core." Differentiation of these two sub-populations coincides with the formation of a gradient in nitrogen-source availability within clusters. Additionally, we find that populations of cells containing a high proportion of carbon-storing individuals propagate and form new clusters more readily on alginate than do populations with few carbon-storing cells. Together, these results suggest that local metabolic activity and differential partitioning of resources leads to the emergence of reproductive cycles in a facultatively multicellular bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia A Schwartzman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Ali Ebrahimi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Grayson Chadwick
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Yuya Sato
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8569, Japan
| | - Benjamin R K Roller
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, Vienna 1030, Austria; Department of Environmental Systems Sciences, ETH Zürich, Universitätsstrasse 16, Zürich 8092, Switzerland; Department of Environmental Microbiology, Eawag, Ueberlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Victoria J Orphan
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Otto X Cordero
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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10
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Bao L, Ren J, Nguyen M, Slusarczyk AS, Thole JM, Martinez SP, Huang J, Fujita T, Running MP. The cellular function of ROP GTPase prenylation is important for multicellularity in the moss Physcomitrium patens. Development 2022; 149:275605. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.200279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
A complete picture of how signaling pathways lead to multicellularity is largely unknown. Previously, we generated mutations in a protein prenylation enzyme, GGB, and showed that it is essential for maintaining multicellularity in the moss Physcomitrium patens. Here, we show that ROP GTPases act as downstream factors that are prenylated by GGB and themselves play an important role in the multicellularity of P. patens. We also show that the loss of multicellularity caused by the suppression of GGB or ROP GTPases is due to uncoordinated cell expansion, defects in cell wall integrity and the disturbance of the directional control of cell plate orientation. Expressing prenylatable ROP in the ggb mutant not only rescues multicellularity in protonemata but also results in development of gametophores. Although the prenylation of ROP is important for multicellularity, a higher threshold of active ROP is required for gametophore development. Thus, our results suggest that ROP activation via prenylation by GGB is a key process at both cell and tissue levels, facilitating the developmental transition from one dimension to two dimensions and to three dimensions in P. patens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Bao
- University of Louisville 1 Department of Biology , , Louisville, KY 40208 , USA
| | - Junling Ren
- University of Louisville 1 Department of Biology , , Louisville, KY 40208 , USA
| | - Mary Nguyen
- University of Louisville 1 Department of Biology , , Louisville, KY 40208 , USA
| | | | - Julie M. Thole
- Saint Louis University 3 Department of Biology , , St Louis, MO 63103 , USA
| | | | - Jinling Huang
- East Carolina University 4 Department of Biology , , Greenville, NC 27858
| | - Tomomichi Fujita
- Hokkaido University 5 Faculty of Science , , Sapporo 060-0810 , Japan
| | - Mark P. Running
- University of Louisville 1 Department of Biology , , Louisville, KY 40208 , USA
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11
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Bonforti A, Solé R. Unicellular-multicellular evolutionary branching driven by resource limitations. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20220018. [PMID: 35642429 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Multicellular life forms have evolved many times on our planet, suggesting that this is a common evolutionary innovation. Multiple advantages have been proposed for the emergence of multicellularity (MC). In this paper, we address the problem of how the first precondition for MC, namely 'stay together', might have occurred under spatially limited resources exploited by a population of unicellular agents. Using a minimal model of evolved cell-cell adhesion among growing and dividing cells that exploit a localized resource with a given size, we show that a transition occurs at a critical resource size separating a phase of evolved multicellular aggregates from a phase where unicellularity (UC) is favoured. The two phases are separated by an intermediate domain where both UC and MC can be selected by evolution. This model provides a minimal approach to the early stages that were required to transition from individuality to cohesive groups of cells associated with a physical cooperative effect: when resources are present only in a localized portion of the habitat, MC is a desirable property as it helps cells to keep close to the available local nutrients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Bonforti
- ICREA-Complex Systems Lab, UPF-PRBB, Dr. Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, CSIC-UPF, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta 37, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ricard Solé
- ICREA-Complex Systems Lab, UPF-PRBB, Dr. Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, CSIC-UPF, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta 37, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
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12
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Day TC, Márquez-Zacarías P, Bravo P, Pokhrel AR, MacGillivray KA, Ratcliff WC, Yunker PJ. Varied solutions to multicellularity: The biophysical and evolutionary consequences of diverse intercellular bonds. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2022; 3:021305. [PMID: 35673523 PMCID: PMC9164275 DOI: 10.1063/5.0080845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The diversity of multicellular organisms is, in large part, due to the fact that multicellularity has independently evolved many times. Nonetheless, multicellular organisms all share a universal biophysical trait: cells are attached to each other. All mechanisms of cellular attachment belong to one of two broad classes; intercellular bonds are either reformable or they are not. Both classes of multicellular assembly are common in nature, having independently evolved dozens of times. In this review, we detail these varied mechanisms as they exist in multicellular organisms. We also discuss the evolutionary implications of different intercellular attachment mechanisms on nascent multicellular organisms. The type of intercellular bond present during early steps in the transition to multicellularity constrains future evolutionary and biophysical dynamics for the lineage, affecting the origin of multicellular life cycles, cell-cell communication, cellular differentiation, and multicellular morphogenesis. The types of intercellular bonds used by multicellular organisms may thus result in some of the most impactful historical constraints on the evolution of multicellularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C. Day
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | | | | | - Aawaz R. Pokhrel
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | | | - William C. Ratcliff
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Peter J. Yunker
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
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13
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Liu L, Xiao Z, Chen X, Szolnoki A. Early exclusion leads to cyclical cooperation in repeated group interactions. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20210755. [PMID: 35317651 PMCID: PMC8941418 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Explaining the emergence and maintenance of cooperation among selfish individuals from an evolutionary perspective remains a grand challenge in biology, economy and social sciences. Social exclusion is believed to be an answer to this conundrum. However, previously related studies often assume one-shot interactions and ignore how free-riding is identified, which seem to be too idealistic. In this work, we consider repeated interactions where excluders need to pay a monitoring cost to identify free-riders for exclusion and free-riders cannot participate in the following possible game interactions once they are identified and excluded by excluders in the repeated interaction process. We reveal that the introduction of such exclusion can prevent the breakdown of cooperation in repeated group interactions. In particular, we demonstrate that an evolutionary oscillation among cooperators, defectors and excluders can appear in infinitely large populations when early exclusion is implemented. In addition, we find that the population spends most of the time in states where cooperators dominate for early exclusion when stochastic mutation-selection is considered in finite populations. Our results highlight that early exclusion is successful in solving the mentioned enigma of cooperation in repeated group interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linjie Liu
- College of Science, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, People’s Republic of China
- School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhilong Xiao
- School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaojie Chen
- School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People’s Republic of China
| | - Attila Szolnoki
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, Centre for Energy Research, PO Box 49, Budapest 1525, Hungary
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14
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Day TC, Höhn SS, Zamani-Dahaj SA, Yanni D, Burnetti A, Pentz J, Honerkamp-Smith AR, Wioland H, Sleath HR, Ratcliff WC, Goldstein RE, Yunker PJ. Cellular organization in lab-evolved and extant multicellular species obeys a maximum entropy law. eLife 2022; 11:72707. [PMID: 35188101 PMCID: PMC8860445 DOI: 10.7554/elife.72707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of multicellular organisms is due in part to their ability to form complex structures. How cells pack in these structures is a fundamental biophysical issue, underlying their functional properties. However, much remains unknown about how cell packing geometries arise, and how they are affected by random noise during growth - especially absent developmental programs. Here, we quantify the statistics of cellular neighborhoods of two different multicellular eukaryotes: lab-evolved ‘snowflake’ yeast and the green alga Volvox carteri. We find that despite large differences in cellular organization, the free space associated with individual cells in both organisms closely fits a modified gamma distribution, consistent with maximum entropy predictions originally developed for granular materials. This ‘entropic’ cellular packing ensures a degree of predictability despite noise, facilitating parent-offspring fidelity even in the absence of developmental regulation. Together with simulations of diverse growth morphologies, these results suggest that gamma-distributed cell neighborhood sizes are a general feature of multicellularity, arising from conserved statistics of cellular packing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Day
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States
| | - Stephanie S Höhn
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Seyed A Zamani-Dahaj
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States.,School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States.,Quantitative Biosciences Graduate Program, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States
| | - David Yanni
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States
| | - Anthony Burnetti
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States
| | - Jennifer Pentz
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States.,Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Aurelia R Honerkamp-Smith
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Hugo Wioland
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah R Sleath
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - William C Ratcliff
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States
| | - Raymond E Goldstein
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Peter J Yunker
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States
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15
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16
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Abstract
AbstractAnimals, fungi, and algae with complex multicellular bodies all evolved independently from unicellular ancestors. The early history of these major eukaryotic multicellular clades, if not their origins, co-occur with an extreme phase of global glaciations known as the Snowball Earth. Here, I propose that the long-term loss of low-viscosity environments due to several rounds global glaciation drove the multiple origins of complex multicellularity in eukaryotes and the subsequent radiation of complex multicellular groups into previously unoccupied niches. In this scenario, life adapts to Snowball Earth oceans by evolving large size and faster speeds through multicellularity, which acts to compensate for high-viscosity seawater and achieve fluid flow at sufficient levels to satisfy metabolic needs. Warm, low-viscosity seawater returned with the melting of the Snowball glaciers, and with it, by virtue of large and fast multicellular bodies, new ways of life were unveiled.
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17
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Why have aggregative multicellular organisms stayed simple? Curr Genet 2021; 67:871-876. [PMID: 34114051 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-021-01193-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Multicellularity has evolved numerous times across the tree of life. One of the most fundamental distinctions among multicellular organisms is their developmental mode: whether they stay together during growth and develop clonally, or form a group through the aggregation of free-living cells. The five eukaryotic lineages to independently evolve complex multicellularity (animals, plants, red algae, brown algae, and fungi) all develop clonally. This fact has largely been explained through social evolutionary theory's lens of cooperation and conflict, where cheating within non-clonal groups has the potential to undermine multicellular adaptation. Multicellular organisms that form groups via aggregation could mitigate the costs of cheating by evolving kin recognition systems that prevent the formation of chimeric groups. However, recent work suggests that selection for the ability to aggregate quickly may constrain the evolution of highly specific kin recognition, sowing the seeds for persistent evolutionary conflict. Importantly, other features of aggregative multicellular life cycles may independently act to constrain the evolution of complex multicellularity. All known aggregative multicellular organisms are facultatively multicellular (as opposed to obligately multicellular), allowing unicellular-level adaptation to environmental selection. Because they primarily exist in a unicellular state, it may be difficult for aggregative multicellular organisms to evolve multicellular traits that carry pleiotropic cell-level fitness costs. Thus, even in the absence of social conflict, aggregative multicellular organisms may have limited potential for the evolution of complex multicellularity.
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18
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Bozdag GO, Libby E, Pineau R, Reinhard CT, Ratcliff WC. Oxygen suppression of macroscopic multicellularity. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2838. [PMID: 33990594 PMCID: PMC8121917 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23104-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Atmospheric oxygen is thought to have played a vital role in the evolution of large, complex multicellular organisms. Challenging the prevailing theory, we show that the transition from an anaerobic to an aerobic world can strongly suppress the evolution of macroscopic multicellularity. Here we select for increased size in multicellular 'snowflake' yeast across a range of metabolically-available O2 levels. While yeast under anaerobic and high-O2 conditions evolved to be considerably larger, intermediate O2 constrained the evolution of large size. Through sequencing and synthetic strain construction, we confirm that this is due to O2-mediated divergent selection acting on organism size. We show via mathematical modeling that our results stem from nearly universal evolutionary and biophysical trade-offs, and thus should apply broadly. These results highlight the fact that oxygen is a double-edged sword: while it provides significant metabolic advantages, selection for efficient use of this resource may paradoxically suppress the evolution of macroscopic multicellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Ozan Bozdag
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Eric Libby
- Integrated Science Lab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Rozenn Pineau
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia, USA
| | - Christopher T Reinhard
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, Alternative Earths Team, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - William C Ratcliff
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, Reliving the Past Team, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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19
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Isaksson H, Conlin PL, Kerr B, Ratcliff WC, Libby E. The Consequences of Budding versus Binary Fission on Adaptation and Aging in Primitive Multicellularity. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:661. [PMID: 33924996 PMCID: PMC8145350 DOI: 10.3390/genes12050661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Early multicellular organisms must gain adaptations to outcompete their unicellular ancestors, as well as other multicellular lineages. The tempo and mode of multicellular adaptation is influenced by many factors including the traits of individual cells. We consider how a fundamental aspect of cells, whether they reproduce via binary fission or budding, can affect the rate of adaptation in primitive multicellularity. We use mathematical models to study the spread of beneficial, growth rate mutations in unicellular populations and populations of multicellular filaments reproducing via binary fission or budding. Comparing populations once they reach carrying capacity, we find that the spread of mutations in multicellular budding populations is qualitatively distinct from the other populations and in general slower. Since budding and binary fission distribute age-accumulated damage differently, we consider the effects of cellular senescence. When growth rate decreases with cell age, we find that beneficial mutations can spread significantly faster in a multicellular budding population than its corresponding unicellular population or a population reproducing via binary fission. Our results demonstrate that basic aspects of the cell cycle can give rise to different rates of adaptation in multicellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Isaksson
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden;
- Integrated Science Lab, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Peter L. Conlin
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (P.L.C.); (W.C.R.)
| | - Ben Kerr
- Department of Biology, BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA;
| | - William C. Ratcliff
- Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Biological Sciences, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (P.L.C.); (W.C.R.)
| | - Eric Libby
- Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden;
- Integrated Science Lab, Umeå University, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
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20
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Grum-Grzhimaylo AA, Bastiaans E, van den Heuvel J, Berenguer Millanes C, Debets AJM, Aanen DK. Somatic deficiency causes reproductive parasitism in a fungus. Nat Commun 2021; 12:783. [PMID: 33542245 PMCID: PMC7862218 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21050-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Some multicellular organisms can fuse because mergers potentially provide mutual benefits. However, experimental evolution in the fungus Neurospora crassa has demonstrated that free fusion of mycelia favours cheater lineages, but the mechanism and evolutionary dynamics of this exploitation are unknown. Here we show, paradoxically, that all convergently evolved cheater lineages have similar fusion deficiencies. These mutants are unable to initiate fusion but retain access to wild-type mycelia that fuse with them. This asymmetry reduces cheater-mutant contributions to somatic substrate-bound hyphal networks, but increases representation of their nuclei in the aerial reproductive hyphae. Cheaters only benefit when relatively rare and likely impose genetic load reminiscent of germline senescence. We show that the consequences of somatic fusion can be unequally distributed among fusion partners, with the passive non-fusing partner profiting more. We discuss how our findings may relate to the extensive variation in fusion frequency of fungi found in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey A Grum-Grzhimaylo
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Microbial Ecology Department, NIOO-KNAW, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Eric Bastiaans
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Alfons J M Debets
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Duur K Aanen
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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21
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Abstract
Multicellularity has evolved many times. A new study explores why some forms of multicellularity may be better than others.
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