Collective condensation and auto-aggregation of Escherichia coli in uniform acidic environments
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Chemotaxis–the movement of cells along chemical gradients—leads to collective behaviors when cells coordinate their movements. Here, using Escherichia coli as a model, we demonstrate a distinct type of bacterial collective response in acidic environments containing organic acids. Bacterial populations immersed in such environments collectively condensed into millimeter-sized focal points. Furthermore, this bacterial condensation fostered the formation of small, tightly packed cell aggregates, resembling non-surface-attached biofilms. These cell aggregates were physically displaced by the free-swimming condensing cells, leading to the segregation of the two cell populations. Bacterial condensation relied on feedback between the tendency of these bacteria to neutralize the pH and their chemotactic repulsion from low pH. Sustained cell condensation occurred when the bacteria occupied only part of the acidic environment, either dynamically or due to physical constraints. Such condensed bacterial populations can mitigate acid stress more efficiently, a principle that may be applicable to other stress conditions. Under uniform pH stress, bacteria spontaneously condense into millimeter-sized focal points. This chemotaxis-driven collective response fosters the formation of tightly packed cell communities and allows cells to mitigate the stress more efficiently.
Source: Communications Biology
Authors: Nir Livne, Moriah Koler, Ady Vaknin
Institution: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,890
OpenAlex ID: W4401757838