Bacteria can form interconnected microcolonies when a self-excreted product reduces their surface motility: evidence from individual-based model simulations

Nabil Mabrouk; Guillaume Deffuant; Tim Tolker-Nielsen; Claude Lobry

doi:10.1007/s12064-009-0078-8

Bacteria can form interconnected microcolonies when a self-excreted product reduces their surface motility: evidence from individual-based model simulations

Nabil Mabrouk, Guillaume Deffuant, Tim Tolker-Nielsen, Claude Lobry

Department of Immunology and Microbiology

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Recent experimental observations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a model bacterium in biofilm research, reveal that, under specific growth conditions, bacterial cells form patterns of interconnected microcolonies. In the present work, we use an individual-based model to assess the involvement of bacteria motility and self-produced extracellular substance in the formation of these patterns. In our simulations, the pattern of interconnected microcolonies appears only when bacteria motility is reduced by excreted extracellular macromolecules. Immotile bacteria form isolated microcolonies and constantly motile bacteria form flat biofilms. Based on experimental data and computer simulations, we suggest a mechanism that could be responsible for these interconnected microcolonies.

Original language	English
Journal	Theory in Biosciences
Volume	129
Issue number	1
Pages (from-to)	1-13
Number of pages	12
ISSN	1431-7613
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s12064-009-0078-8
Publication status	Published - Jun 2010

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Bacteria can form interconnected microcolonies when a self-excreted product reduces their surface motility: evidence from individual-based model simulations. / Mabrouk, Nabil; Deffuant, Guillaume; Tolker-Nielsen, Tim et al.

In: Theory in Biosciences, Vol. 129, No. 1, 06.2010, p. 1-13.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Bacteria can form interconnected microcolonies when a self-excreted product reduces their surface motility: evidence from individual-based model simulations

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