Emergence of order and structure in biofilms growing in fluid shear

ORAL

Abstract

In many situations bacteria aggregate to form biofilms: dense, surface-associated, three-dimensional structures populated by cells embedded in matrix. Biofilm architectures are sculpted by mechanical processes including cell growth, cell-cell interactions and external forces. Using single-cell live imaging in combination with simulations we characterize the cell-cell and cell-flow interactions that generate Vibrio cholerae biofilm morphologies. Our results demonstrate the importance of dynamics at multiple scales in determining the architectures of biofilms in flow.

Presenters

  • Philip Pearce

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Authors

  • Philip Pearce

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Raimo Hartmann

    • Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology
  • Praveen Singh

    • Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology
  • Rachel Mok

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Department of Applied Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Boya Song

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Dominic Skinner

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Jeffrey Oishi

    • Bates College
  • Jorn Dunkel

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Department of Applied Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Knut Drescher

    • Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology