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de Anda J, Kuchma SL, Webster SS, Boromand A, Lewis KA, Lee CK, Contreras M, Medeiros Pereira VF, Schmidt W, Hogan DA, O’Hern CS, O’Toole GA, Wong GCL. How P. aeruginosa cells with diverse stator composition collectively swarm. mBio 2024; 15:e0332223. [PMID: 38426789 PMCID: PMC11005332 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03322-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Swarming is a macroscopic phenomenon in which surface bacteria organize into a motile population. The flagellar motor that drives swarming in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is powered by stators MotAB and MotCD. Deletion of the MotCD stator eliminates swarming, whereas deletion of the MotAB stator enhances swarming. Interestingly, we measured a strongly asymmetric stator availability in the wild-type (WT) strain, with MotAB stators produced at an approximately 40-fold higher level than MotCD stators. However, utilization of MotCD stators in free swimming cells requires higher liquid viscosities, while MotAB stators are readily utilized at low viscosities. Importantly, we find that cells with MotCD stators are ~10× more likely to have an active motor compared to cells uses the MotAB stators. The spectrum of motility intermittency can either cooperatively shut down or promote flagellum motility in WT populations. In P. aeruginosa, transition from a static solid-like biofilm to a dynamic liquid-like swarm is not achieved at a single critical value of flagellum torque or stator fraction but is collectively controlled by diverse combinations of flagellum activities and motor intermittencies via dynamic stator utilization. Experimental and computational results indicate that the initiation or arrest of flagellum-driven swarming motility does not occur from individual fitness or motility performance but rather related to concepts from the "jamming transition" in active granular matter.IMPORTANCEIt is now known that there exist multifactorial influences on swarming motility for P. aeruginosa, but it is not clear precisely why stator selection in the flagellum motor is so important. We show differential production and utilization of the stators. Moreover, we find the unanticipated result that the two motor configurations have significantly different motor intermittencies: the fraction of flagellum-active cells in a population on average with MotCD is active ~10× more often than with MotAB. What emerges from this complex landscape of stator utilization and resultant motor output is an intrinsically heterogeneous population of motile cells. We show how consequences of stator recruitment led to swarming motility and how the stators potentially relate to surface sensing circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime de Anda
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Sherry L. Kuchma
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Shanice S. Webster
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Arman Boromand
- Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Kimberley A. Lewis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Calvin K. Lee
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Maria Contreras
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | | | - William Schmidt
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Deborah A. Hogan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Corey S. O’Hern
- Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - George A. O’Toole
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Gerard C. L. Wong
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Dayton H, Kiss J, Wei M, Chauhan S, LaMarre E, Cornell WC, Morgan CJ, Janakiraman A, Min W, Tomer R, Price-Whelan A, Nirody JA, Dietrich LEP. Cellular arrangement impacts metabolic activity and antibiotic tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002205. [PMID: 38300958 PMCID: PMC10833521 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Cells must access resources to survive, and the anatomy of multicellular structures influences this access. In diverse multicellular eukaryotes, resources are provided by internal conduits that allow substances to travel more readily through tissue than they would via diffusion. Microbes growing in multicellular structures, called biofilms, are also affected by differential access to resources and we hypothesized that this is influenced by the physical arrangement of the cells. In this study, we examined the microanatomy of biofilms formed by the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and discovered that clonal cells form striations that are packed lengthwise across most of a mature biofilm's depth. We identified mutants, including those defective in pilus function and in O-antigen attachment, that show alterations to this lengthwise packing phenotype. Consistent with the notion that cellular arrangement affects access to resources within the biofilm, we found that while the wild type shows even distribution of tested substrates across depth, the mutants show accumulation of substrates at the biofilm boundaries. Furthermore, we found that altered cellular arrangement within biofilms affects the localization of metabolic activity, the survival of resident cells, and the susceptibility of subpopulations to antibiotic treatment. Our observations provide insight into cellular features that determine biofilm microanatomy, with consequences for physiological differentiation and drug sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Dayton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Julie Kiss
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Mian Wei
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Shradha Chauhan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Emily LaMarre
- Program in Biology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - William Cole Cornell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Chase J. Morgan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Anuradha Janakiraman
- Program in Biology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Wei Min
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Raju Tomer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Alexa Price-Whelan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Jasmine A. Nirody
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Lars E. P. Dietrich
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
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3
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Bru JL, Kasallis SJ, Zhuo Q, Høyland-Kroghsbo NM, Siryaporn A. Swarming of P. aeruginosa: Through the lens of biophysics. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2023; 4:031305. [PMID: 37781002 PMCID: PMC10540860 DOI: 10.1063/5.0128140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Swarming is a collective flagella-dependent movement of bacteria across a surface that is observed across many species of bacteria. Due to the prevalence and diversity of this motility modality, multiple models of swarming have been proposed, but a consensus on a general mechanism for swarming is still lacking. Here, we focus on swarming by Pseudomonas aeruginosa due to the abundance of experimental data and multiple models for this species, including interpretations that are rooted in biology and biophysics. In this review, we address three outstanding questions about P. aeruginosa swarming: what drives the outward expansion of a swarm, what causes the formation of dendritic patterns (tendrils), and what are the roles of flagella? We review models that propose biologically active mechanisms including surfactant sensing as well as fluid mechanics-based models that consider swarms as thin liquid films. Finally, we reconcile recent observations of P. aeruginosa swarms with early definitions of swarming. This analysis suggests that mechanisms associated with sliding motility have a critical role in P. aeruginosa swarm formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Louis Bru
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | - Summer J. Kasallis
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | - Quantum Zhuo
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
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Borer B, Zhang IH, Baker AE, O'Toole GA, Babbin AR. Porous marine snow differentially benefits chemotactic, motile, and nonmotile bacteria. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 2:pgac311. [PMID: 36845354 PMCID: PMC9944246 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Particulate organic carbon settling through the marine water column is a key process that regulates the global climate by sequestering atmospheric carbon. The initial colonization of marine particles by heterotrophic bacteria represents the first step in recycling this carbon back to inorganic constituents-setting the magnitude of vertical carbon transport to the abyss. Here, we demonstrate experimentally using millifluidic devices that, although bacterial motility is essential for effective colonization of a particle leaking organic nutrients into the water column, chemotaxis specifically benefits at intermediate and higher settling velocities to navigate the particle boundary layer during the brief window of opportunity provided by a passing particle. We develop an individual-based model that simulates the encounter and attachment of bacterial cells with leaking marine particles to systematically evaluate the role of different parameters associated with bacterial run-and-tumble motility. We further use this model to explore the role of particle microstructure on the colonization efficiency of bacteria with different motility traits. We find that the porous microstructure facilitates additional colonization by chemotactic and motile bacteria, and fundamentally alters the way nonmotile cells interact with particles due to streamlines intersecting with the particle surface.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Irene H Zhang
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Amy E Baker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - George A O'Toole
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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