Oliveira, N.M., Fostera, K.R. and Durham, W.M. (2016) Single-cell twitching chemotaxis in developing biofilms. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 113 (23). pp. 6532-6537. ISSN 0027-8424
Abstract
Bacteria form surface-attached communities, known as biofilms, which are central to bacterial biology and how they affect us. Although surface-attached bacteria often experience strong chemical gradients, it remains unclear whether single cells can effectively perform chemotaxis on surfaces. Here we use microfluidic chemical gradients and massively parallel automated tracking to study the behavior of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa during early biofilm development. We show that individual cells can efficiently move toward chemoattractants using pili-based “twitching” motility and the Chp chemosensory system. Moreover, we discovered the behavioral mechanism underlying this surface chemotaxis: Cells reverse direction more frequently when moving away from chemoattractant sources. These corrective maneuvers are triggered rapidly, typically before a wayward cell has ventured a fraction of a micron. Our work shows that single bacteria can direct their motion with submicron precision and reveals the hidden potential for chemotaxis within bacterial biofilms.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016 National Academy of Sciences. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Pseudomonas aeruginosa; bacterial chemotaxis; twitching motility; Type IV pili; Pil-Chp system |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Physics and Astronomy (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 16 Nov 2016 15:21 |
Last Modified: | 27 Jan 2020 14:59 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1600760113 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | National Academy of Sciences |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1073/pnas.1600760113 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:107535 |