Bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation: investigating the role of mechanical cues
| When |
Jul 01, 2019
from 11:00 to 12:00 |
|---|---|
| Where | Amphi. Schrödinger |
| Attendees |
Sigolène Lecuyer |
| Add event to calendar |
vCal
iCal
|
Bacteria adhere to inert surfaces, and form macrocolonies called biofilms. This biofouling is an important problem in both industry and healthcare, but the cues that regulate the switch from motile to sessile lifestyle -and from individual to collective behavior- are still poorly understood. In this talk, I will present our recent efforts to decipher the role of mechanical cues during bacterial adhesion and early biofilm development. I will demonstrate the importance of environmental forces with experimental results obtained for the biofilm-forming pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We observe that bacterial behavior is influenced by the shear stress, but also by the mechanical properties of the underlying substrate. We combine microfluidics, microbiology tools and in situ force measurement in order to decipher the changes that take place upon bacterial adhesion, at the single cell and population levels. Finally, I will present recent insights brought by Atomic Force Microscopy, and discuss future prospects of the project.