Mathematical modelling of the agr operon in Staphylococcus aureus

dc.contributor.authorJabbari, S.
dc.contributor.authorKing, J.
dc.contributor.authorKoerber, A.
dc.contributor.authorWilliams, P.
dc.date.issued2010
dc.descriptionFirst published online in 2009
dc.description.abstracttaphylococcus aureus is a pathogenic bacterium that utilises quorum sensing (QS), a cell-to-cell signalling mechanism, to enhance its ability to cause disease. QS allows the bacteria to monitor their surroundings and the size of their population, and S. aureus makes use of this to regulate the production of virulence factors. Here we describe a mathematical model of this QS system and perform a detailed time-dependent asymptotic analysis in order to clarify the roles of the distinct interactions that make up the QS process, demonstrating which reactions dominate the behaviour of the system at various timepoints. We couple this analysis with numerical simulations and are thus able to gain insight into how a large population of S. aureus shifts from a relatively harmless state to a highly virulent one, focussing on the need for the three distinct phases which form the feedback loop of this particular QS system.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilitySara Jabbari, John R. King, Adrian J. Koerber and Paul Williams
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Mathematical Biology, 2010; 61(1):17-54
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s00285-009-0291-6
dc.identifier.issn0303-6812
dc.identifier.issn1432-1416
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/57937
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer-Verlag
dc.rights© 2009 Springer. Part of Springer Science+Business Media
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s00285-009-0291-6
dc.subjectStaphylococcus aureus
dc.subjectQuorum sensing
dc.subjectMathematical modelling
dc.subjectAsymptotic analysis
dc.subjectTwo component systems
dc.titleMathematical modelling of the agr operon in Staphylococcus aureus
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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