Bacterial immune systems as causes and consequences of microbiome structure

TL;DR

This paper explores how bacterial immune systems interact with molecular parasites to influence the structure and function of microbiomes.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel perspective on how bacterial immune systems and mobile genetic elements reciprocally shape microbiome dynamics.

Findings

Bacterial immune systems have evolved in response to molecular parasites like mobile genetic elements.

The ecological roles of bacterial immune systems in shaping microbiome structure remain poorly understood.

Interactions between mobile genetic elements and bacterial defenses may influence microbial community dynamics.

Abstract

Attacks from molecular parasites such as mobile genetic elements (MGEs) have driven the evolution of defense systems in bacterial genomes. Yet, despite significant advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of these bacterial immune systems, we have only a rudimentary understanding of their ecology and evolution. Bacteria exist as part of complex microbiomes, but community ecology and microbiome research has yet to characterize the impacts of interactions between MGEs and defense mechanisms upon the structure, dynamics and evolution of microbiomes. This Essay introduces and discusses the interplay between bacterial community dynamics and bacterial immune systems, speculating about how these reciprocal interactions may shape microbial community structure and function.

Bacterial immune systems have evolved in response to diverse molecular "parasites", yet their ecological roles remain poorly understood. This Essay explores how interactions between mobile genetic elements and bacterial defences shape microbiome structure and function.

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