An early mechanical coupling of planktonic bacteria in dilute suspensions

Simon Sretenovic, Biljana Stojković, Iztok Dogsa, Rok Kostanjšek, Igor Poberaj and David Stopar ()
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Simon Sretenovic: University of Ljubljana
Biljana Stojković: University of Ljubljana
Iztok Dogsa: University of Ljubljana
Rok Kostanjšek: University of Ljubljana
Igor Poberaj: University of Ljubljana
David Stopar: University of Ljubljana

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract It is generally accepted that planktonic bacteria in dilute suspensions are not mechanically coupled and do not show correlated motion. The mechanical coupling of cells is a trait that develops upon transition into a biofilm, a microbial community of self-aggregated bacterial cells. Here we employ optical tweezers to show that bacteria in dilute suspensions are mechanically coupled and show long-range correlated motion. The strength of the coupling increases with the growth of liquid bacterial culture. The matrix responsible for the mechanical coupling is composed of cell debris and extracellular polymer material. The fragile network connecting cells behaves as viscoelastic liquid of entangled extracellular polymers. Our findings point to physical connections between bacteria in dilute bacterial suspensions that may provide a mechanistic framework for understanding of biofilm formation, osmotic flow of nutrients, diffusion of signal molecules in quorum sensing, or different efficacy of antibiotic treatments at low and high bacterial densities.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00295-z

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