TY - JOUR
T1 - Bacteria can form interconnected microcolonies when a self-excreted product reduces their surface motility: evidence from individual-based model simulations
AU - Mabrouk, Nabil
AU - Deffuant, Guillaume
AU - Tolker-Nielsen, Tim
AU - Lobry, Claude
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
U2 - 10.1007/s12064-009-0078-8
DO - 10.1007/s12064-009-0078-8
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 19946800
SN - 1431-7613
VL - 129
SP - 1
EP - 13
JO - Theory in Biosciences
JF - Theory in Biosciences
IS - 1
ER -