Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: Bacterial biofilms are aggregates of surface-associated cells embedded in an extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) matrix, and are typically stationary. Studies of bacterial collective movement have largely focused on swarming motility mediated by flagella or pili, in the absence of a biofilm. Here, we describe a unique mode of collective movement by a self-propelled, surface-associated biofilm-like multicellular structure. Flavobacterium johnsoniae cells, which move by gliding motility, self-assemble into spherical microcolonies with EPS cores when observed by an under-oil open microfluidic system. Small microcolonies merge, creating larger ones. Microscopic analysis and computer simulation indicate that microcolonies move by cells at the base of the structure, attached to the surface by one pole of the cell. Biochemical and mutant analyses show that an active process drives microcolony self-assembly and motility, which depend on the bacterial gliding apparatus. We hypothesize that this mode of collective bacterial movement on solid surfaces may play potential roles in biofilm dynamics, bacterial cargo transport, or microbial adaptation. However, whether this collective motility occurs on plant roots or soil particles, the native environment for F. johnsoniae, is unknown.
Source: Nature Communications
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,560
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, American Cancer Society, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Division of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation, Army Research Office, Army Research Laboratory
Awards: G1452502280, G1592168714, EFRI-MIKS: Microfluidic-Based Screening of Multi-Kingdom Microbial Communication Molecules, G2986614096, EAGER: A Model System for Soil Microbial Communities, G3173858796, G3177983899, Understanding cell migration through microscale in vitro models, G4657123650, Early Humans on the Bering Land Bridge: A Proposal to Investigate the Fluted-Point Site at Serpentine Hot Springs, Alaska, G5103270464, G5329258678, G549343027, G6227595169, G684494410, G7131328783, [PQC-3] A Metabolic Pathway Activation Marker for Prostate Cancer Prognosis, VERSA: An Integrated, Multi-Endpoint Platform for Circulating Tumor Cell Analysis, G7852039119, G8321050657, G843476400, G8435556815, An automated high-throughput tissue model for screening metastatic effectors, G8498420237, G8577044426, G9000086796, G9000123268, G9000165124, G9000180396, G9000214872, G9000339750
OpenAlex ID: W3204483546