文章基本信息

标题：Single-cell twitching chemotaxis in developing biofilms
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作者：Nuno M. Oliveira ; Kevin R. Foster ; William M. Durham 等
期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：2016
卷号：113
期号：23
页码：6532-6537
DOI：10.1073/pnas.1600760113
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：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.
关键词：Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; bacterial chemotaxis ; twitching motility ; Type IV pili ; Pil-Chp system