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arXiv · 1607.06860

Multicellular self-organization of P. aeruginosa due to interactions with secreted trails

Anatolij Gelimson·Kun Zhao·Calvin K. Lee·W. Till Kranz·Gerard C. L. Wong·Ramin Golestanian
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Abstract

Guided movement in response to slowly diffusing polymeric trails provides a unique mechanism for self-organization of some microorganisms. To elucidate how this signaling route leads to microcolony formation, we experimentally probe the trajectory and orientation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that propel themselves on a surface using type IV pili motility appendages, which preferentially attach to deposited exopolysaccharides. We construct a stochastic model by analyzing single-bacterium trajectories, and show that the resulting theoretical prediction for the many-body behavior of the bacteria is in quantitative agreement with our experimental characterization of how cells explore the surface via a power law strategy.

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Anatolij Gelimson, Kun Zhao, Calvin K. Lee, W. Till Kranz, Gerard C. L. Wong, Ramin Golestanian. 2016-09-19. Multicellular self-organization of P. aeruginosa due to interactions with secreted trails. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.117.178102

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