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SUMMARY:Overcoming obstacles: a collective microbial solution to a shared 
 problem - Diana Fusco\, Cambridge
DTSTART:20220307T143000Z
DTEND:20220307T150000Z
UID:TALK167300@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Christoph Schran
DESCRIPTION:Bacterial biofilms are the most pervasive life form on the pla
 net having adapted to a wide range of living conditions. While invading ne
 w territory in the wild\, biofilms periodically encounter barriers\, inclu
 ding populations of other bacteria that can be so densely packed to comple
 tely halt the forward motion of individual cells. How do biofilms overcome
  such a challenge?\n\nUsing time-lapse microscopy on expanding biofilms of
  B. subtilis crashing against populations of E. coli of variable density a
 nd width\, we find that the biofilm population exhibits different collecti
 ve strategies to bypass the barrier on its path\, often requiring coordina
 tion of cell behaviour across thousands of cells. In particular\, while ra
 fts of swarming cells are sufficient to break through thin barriers\, dens
 er barriers trigger a “vascularization” process during which some cell
 s create channels that slowly penetrate the barrier. Interestingly\, a sim
 ilar process is observed also as the biofilm grows in isolation and create
 s radial "wrinkles". While these wrinkles have so far been thought to orig
 inate from critical stress that builds within the biofilm because of growt
 h\, we have found experimentally that wrinkle propagation requires cell mo
 tility. Molecular dynamics simulations of mixtures of active and passive p
 articles are able to partially recapitulate the observed behaviour\, but a
 lso show clear limitations that suggest a subtle coordination between cell
  motility and adhesion during biofilm development.
LOCATION:Venue to be confirmed
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