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. 2017 Jul 11;11(11):2492–2509. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2017.103

Table 1. Results of a review of the empirical literature on P. aeruginosa siderophore mutants and cheating.

Reference Producer strain Non-producer strain Growth medium Specific test for cooperation Location of results in publication Non-producer start frequency Cheating observed? Notes
Griffin et al., 2004 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PA06609 (PAO9) CAA+apotransferrin Yes Text 0.5 Variable Cheating was concluded on the basis of differences in density of pure vs mixed culture, relative fitness not reported.
Harrison et al., 2006 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PA06609 (PAO9) Waxworm Yes Figures 3 and 4 0.03–0.9 No Highest reported cheat relative fitness is 1, at start frequencies⩽0.01
Ross-Gillespie et al., 2007 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PA06609 (PAO9) CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 3 0.001–0.99 Variable Cheating observed at starting frequencies⩽0.1; total population density only affected at lowest start frequency
Ross-Gillespie et al., 2007 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PAO1 ΔpvdD CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 3 0.001–0.99 Variable Cheating observed at starting frequencies of 0.001, but no effect on total population density. This mutant gains less fitness benefit from co-culture than PAO9 does
Ross-Gillespie et al., 2007 UCBPP-PA14 (clinical) Spontaneous mutant CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 3 0.001–0.99 Variable Cheating observed at start frequencies⩽0.1, but no effects on total population density. This mutant gains less fitness benefit from co-culture than PAO9 does
Harrison et al., 2008 PAO985 De novo evolution experiment CAA+apotransferrin/iron,±S. aureus No Figures 1 and 2 0    
Brockhurst et al., 2008 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PA06609 (PAO9) M9 minimal salts+CAA+apotransferrin No, but raw data available Figure 4 & raw data 0.5 Yes Cheat relative fitness in mixed culture decreases as more resources are supplied to the media (CAA concentration manipulated to alter carbohydrate and amino acid supply)
Kümmerli et al., 2009a ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PA06609 (PAO9) CAA+apotransferrin Yes Text 0.33 Yes  
Kümmerli et al., 2009b ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PAO1 ΔpvdD CAA+apotransferrin No        
Kümmerli et al., 2009b ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PAO1 ΔpvdDpchEF CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 4 0.17–0.83 Yes Cheat is always fitter than the wild type, even when competed at a starting frequency of 0.83.
Kümmerli et al., 2009c ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PA06609 (PAO9) CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 2 0.33 Variable Cheating is time dependent
Harrison and Buckling, 2009 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) pvdF transposon mutant in MPAO1 background (PA2396-C04::ISlacZ/hah) CAA+apotransferrin No, but raw data available Raw data 0.5 No Re-analysis of raw data reveals this mutant is less fit then the wild type in mixtures with a starting frequency of 0.5 in planktonic and biofilm culture.
Harrison and Buckling, 2009 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) Clones evolved from PAO6049 CAA+apotransferrin No Raw data 0.5 No Mutants outcompete the wild type in planktonic mixed culture, but so does their siderophore-pruducing ancestor & they are lab adapted, growing as well as PAO1 in pure culture.
Ross-Gillespie et al., 2009 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PA06609 (PAO9) CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 2 0.09 No  
Ross-Gillespie et al., 2009 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PAO1 ΔpvdD CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 2 0.09 Variable Cheating observed at high cell density only.
Ross-Gillespie et al., 2009 UCBPP-PA14 (clinical isolate) Spontaneous mutant CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 2 0.09 Variable Cheating observed at high cell density only.
Kümmerli et al., 2010 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PA06609 (PAO9) CAA+apotransferrin Yes Text 0.5 Yes  
Kümmerli and Brown, 2010 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PAO1 ΔpvdD CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 5 0.5 Yes  
Kümmerli and Brown, 2010 PAO6049 PA06609 (PAO9) CAA+apotransferrin No        
Kümmerli and Brown, 2010 Environmental isolate Spontaneous mutant CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 5 0.5 Yes  
Jiricny et al., 2010 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PAO1 ΔpvdD CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figures 4 and 5 0.09 Yes  
Jiricny et al., 2010 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PAO1 ΔpchEF CAA+apotransferrin No   0.09    
Jiricny et al., 2010 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PAO1 ΔpvdDpchEF CAA+apotransferrin No   0.09    
Jiricny et al., 2010 11 various isolates Spontaneous mutants CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figures 4 and 5 0.09 Variable Cheating observed for 8/11mutants. Three non-cheats (with high pyoverdin production) may be driving the reported trend.
Harrison and Buckling, 2011 PAO6049 Evolved clones CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 1 0.05, 0.5 Variable Cheating observed at low starting frequencies for a minority of mutants (mean relative fitness=1)
Harrison and Buckling, 2011 PAO1 ΔmutS Evolved clones CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 1 0.05, 0.5 Variable Cheating observed at low starting frequencies only for a majority of mutants, but some can cheat from a starting frequency of 0.5.
Dumas and Kümmerli, 2012 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) Evolved clones CAA+apotransferrin No Figures 3 and 4 0   Pyoverdine-deficient clones evolved, but their presence did not consistently reduce population growth—some were associated with increased growth.
Dumas et al., 2013 ATCC 15692 (PAO1) PAO1 ΔpvdD and ΔpvdDpchEF CAA+apotransferrin No Figure 4 Three-strain mix, each strain at 0.33   Carbon source, pH and temperature determine the relative growth advantage conferred by siderophores in monoculture. In acidic pH, ΔpvdD grows better. Report outcome of simuated competitions based on monoculture growth parameters.
Ghoul et al., 2014 Cystic fibrosis isolate 2x spontaneous mutants CAA Yes Figures 3 and 4 0.1 Yes Mutant with reduced pyoverdine production cheats on parent strain, and is cheated on by a second spontaneous mutant with even lower pyoverdine production.
Ross-Gillespie et al., 2015 PAO1 ΔpvdD PAO1 ΔpvdDpchEF CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 2 0.2 Yes This experiment competed a double pyoverdine/pyochelin knockouts against a single pyoverdine knockout.
Ross-Gillespie et al., 2015 PAO1 ΔpchEF PAO1 ΔpvdDpchEF CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figure 2 0.2 Yes This experiment competed a double pyoverdine/pyochelin knockouts against a single pyochelin knockout.
Kümmerli et al., 2015 ATC 15692 (PAO1) PAO1 ΔpvdD CAA+apotransferrin No, but can be inferred from data supplied Figures 1,2,3 0.5 Yes There is a coevolutionary arms race, whereby producers become less exploitable and non-producers become better cheats. Non-producer frequency is negatively correlated with population growth. Non-producers grow less well than producers in monoculture, and contemporary pairs show relative fitness of non-producers is >1 (though graphs suggest this effect is small).
Andersen et al., 2015 Cystic fibrosis isolates CF isolates No culture No Text     Cheating inferred by sequence of mutations affecting pyoverdine production and uptake. Very few mutations reported in pyoverdine biosynthetic loci and none pyochelin loci. Most mutations are in pvdS.
Ghoul et al., 2016 ATCC 15692 (PA01) PA06609 (PAO9) CAA+apotransferrin Yes Figures 1a and 2a 0.02–0.10 Variable Mutant cheats only if added to producer cultures before the onset of stationary phase.
Leinweber et al., 2017 ATCC 15692 (PA01)+eGFP tag PAO1 ΔpvdDpchEF+mCherry tag. CAA±apotransferrin Yes Figures 1,2c and 3,Supplementary Figure S1 0.1, 0.5, 0.9 Yes Mutant was fitter than the wild type in shaken liquid medium (no spatial structure) and as fit as the wild type in static medium or medium solidified with agar (spatial structure present) when apotransferrin was added, regardless of starting frequency. No cheating observed when apotransferrin was not added.
Vasse et al., 2017 ATCC 15692 (PA01) PAO1 ΔpvdD CAA+apotransferrin Yes Supplementary Figure S1 and Figure 1 0.15, 0.45, 0.75 Yes When progressively higher concentrations of gentamicin are added to the medium, mutants lose their growth disadvanatge in monoculture but gain a larger benefit from co-culture with the wild type.

Abbreviation: CAA, casamino acids medium.