
The Library
Swarming bacteria undergo localized dynamic phase transition to form stress-induced biofilms
Tools
Grobas, Iago, Polin, Marco and Asally, Munehiro (2021) Swarming bacteria undergo localized dynamic phase transition to form stress-induced biofilms. eLife, 10 . e62632. doi:10.7554/eLife.62632 ISSN 2050-084X.
|
PDF
WRAP-swarming-bacteria-undergo-localized-dynamic-phase-transition-form-stress-induced-biofilms-Asally-2021.pdf - Published Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (4Mb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.62632
Abstract
Self-organized multicellular behaviors enable cells to adapt and tolerate stressors to a greater degree than isolated cells. However, whether and how cellular communities alter their collective behaviors adaptively upon exposure to stress is largely unclear. Here, we investigate this question using Bacillus subtilis, a model system for bacterial multicellularity. We discover that, upon exposure to a spatial gradient of kanamycin, swarming bacteria activate matrix genes and transit to biofilms. The initial stage of this transition is underpinned by a stress-induced multilayer formation, emerging from a biophysical mechanism reminiscent of motility-induced phase separation (MIPS). The physical nature of the process suggests that stressors which suppress the expansion of swarms would induce biofilm formation. Indeed, a simple physical barrier also induces a swarm-to-biofilm transition. Based on the gained insight, we propose a strategy of antibiotic treatment to inhibit the transition from swarms to biofilms by targeting the localized phase transition.
Item Type: | Journal Article | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subjects: | Q Science > QH Natural history Q Science > QR Microbiology |
|||||||||||||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Life Sciences (2010- ) Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Physics |
|||||||||||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Biofilms, Microbial aggregation, Multicellularity , Bacillus subtilis , Bacteria -- Motility | |||||||||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | eLife | |||||||||||||||
Publisher: | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. | |||||||||||||||
ISSN: | 2050-084X | |||||||||||||||
Official Date: | 16 March 2021 | |||||||||||||||
Dates: |
|
|||||||||||||||
Volume: | 10 | |||||||||||||||
Article Number: | e62632 | |||||||||||||||
DOI: | 10.7554/eLife.62632 | |||||||||||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | |||||||||||||||
Publication Status: | Published | |||||||||||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | |||||||||||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 17 March 2021 | |||||||||||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 17 March 2021 | |||||||||||||||
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
|
Request changes or add full text files to a record
Repository staff actions (login required)
![]() |
View Item |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year