Bacteria in Fluid Flow

Padron, Gilberto C; Shuppara, Alexander M; Palalay, Jessica-Jae S; Sharma, Anuradha; Sanfilippo, Joseph E.

doi:10.1128/jb.00400-22

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 124 publications

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“…Flagella have been known to participate in mechanosensing by modulating flagellar motor activity and gene expression upon contact with a surface ( 107 – 111 ). Our observations with C. jejuni reported herein may suggest a type of mechanosensing that occurs with viscosity changes in liquid milieus, but perhaps is more akin to rheosensing but without an applied flow rate ( 112 , 113 ). Currently, there is very little evidence that C. jejuni has a swarming phenotype on solid surfaces like other motile bacteria.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Viscosity-dependent determinants of Campylobacter jejuni impacting the velocity of flagellar motility

Ribardo,

Johnson,

Hendrixson

2024

mBio

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Campylobacter jejuni colonizes the thick mucus layer lining the lower intestinal epithelium of hosts to promote commensalism in birds and animals or diarrheal disease in humans. C. jejuni displays higher swimming velocity as external viscosity increases, which likely benefits colonization and persistence in the intestinal mucus layer of hosts. C. jejuni produces one of the most structurally complex bacterial flagellar motors, which has been proposed to generate high torque for high swimming velocity. However, it is unknown how this flagellar motor alters output to impact swimming velocities in a viscosity-dependent manner. In this work, we identified vi scosity-dependent d eterminant A (VidA) ( Cjj81176_0996 ) and VidB ( Cjj81176_1107 ) in modulating swimming velocity primarily in low-viscosity environments. C. jejuni Δ vidA cells were non-motile or swam slowly in low-viscosity media, but swam with high velocity similar to wild-type cells in both Newtonian and non-Newtonian media with high viscosity. These data indicate that VidA is required for swimming in low-viscosity environments. Suppressor mutants suggested that the lower swimming velocity of Δ vidA in low viscosity was due to unregulated activity of VidB, which we propose has a brake- or clutch-like activity to reduce swimming velocity in low viscosity. Unlike other bacterial flagellar brakes or clutches, we found no evidence for cyclic diguanylate monophosphate influencing VidB activity. Our analyses suggest that the mechanics of the C. jejuni flagellar motor has naturally evolved for high-velocity swimming in milieus with high viscosity and requires the unique combination of VidA and VidB to modulate its activity to slow swimming velocity in low-viscosity environments. IMPORTANCE Bacteria can adapt flagellar motor output in response to the load that the extracellular milieu imparts on the flagellar filament to enable propulsion. Bacteria can adapt flagellar motor output in response to the load that the extracellular milieu imparts on the flagellar filament to enable propulsion through diverse environments. These changes may involve increasing power and torque in high-viscosity environments or reducing power and flagellar rotation upon contact with a surface. C. jejuni swimming velocity in low-viscosity environments is comparable to other bacterial flagellates and increases significantly as external viscosity increases. In this work, we provide evidence that the mechanics of the C. jejuni flagellar motor has evolved to naturally promote high swimming velocity in high-viscosity environments. We found that C. jejuni produces VidA and VidB as auxiliary proteins to specifically affect flagellar motor activity in low viscosity to reduce swimming velocity. Our findings provide some of the first insights into different mechanisms that exist in bacteria to alter the mechanics of a flagellar motor, depending on the viscosity of extracellular environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Viscosity-dependent determinants of Campylobacter jejuni impacting the velocity of flagellar motility

Ribardo,

Johnson,

Hendrixson

2024

mBio

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“…In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the study of rheotaxis in microorganisms. 83,84 This intriguing response has been observed in a diverse range of small life forms, including sperm, 85 protozoa, [86][87][88] Chlamydomonas, 89 flagellated bacteria, 82,[90][91][92] piliated bacteria, [93][94][95][96] and even synthetic self-propelled particles. 97 Basically, microorganisms recognize the flow of water by the asymmetry in propulsion force, cell body, or surface attachment.…”

Section: Rheotaxis In Microorganismsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Rheotaxis in Mycoplasma gliding

Nakane¹

2023

Microbiology and Immunology

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This review describes the upstream‐directed movement in the small parasitic bacterium Mycoplasma. Many Mycoplasma species exhibit gliding motility, a form of biological motion over surfaces without the aid of general surface appendages such as flagella. The gliding motility is characterized by a constant unidirectional movement without changes in direction or backward motion. Unlike flagellated bacteria, Mycoplasma lacks the general chemotactic signaling system to control their moving direction. Therefore, the physiological role of directionless travel in Mycoplasma gliding remains unclear. Recently, high‐precision measurements under an optical microscope have revealed that three species of Mycoplasma exhibited rheotaxis, that is, the direction of gliding motility is lead upstream by the water flow. This intriguing response appears to be optimized for the flow patterns encountered at host surfaces. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the morphology, behavior, and habitat of Mycoplasma gliding, and discusses the possibility that the rheotaxis is ubiquitous among them.

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“…Bacteria encounter complex and diverse mechanical environments in their lifestyle ( 1 , 2 ). For example, human pathogens can cause infections in environments with flow, including the bloodstream, urinary tract, and catheters ( 3–5 ). Previous studies have focused on the effects of flow that moves past surface-attached bacteria ( 6–8 ).…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

Free-floating Bacteria Transcriptionally Respond to Shear Flow

Ramachandran,

Stone,

Gitai

2023

Preprint

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Planktonic (free-floating) cells are typically assumed to be oblivious to any flow that carries them. Here we discover that planktonic bacteria can sense flow to induce gene expression changes that are beneficial in flow. Specifically, planktonicP. aeruginosainduce shear-rate-dependent genes that promote growth in low oxygen environments. Untangling this mechanism revealed that in flow, motileP. aeruginosaspatially redistribute, leading to cell density changes that activate quorum sensing, which in turn enhances oxygen uptake rate. In diffusion-limited environments, including those commonly encountered by bacteria, flow-induced cell density gradients also independently generate oxygen gradients that alter gene expression. Mutants deficient in this newly-discovered flow sensing mechanism exhibit decreased fitness in flow, suggesting that this dynamic coupling of biological and mechanical processes can be physiologically significant.One-Sentence SummaryFree-floating bacteria integrate biological and mechanical responses to adaptively alter gene expression in flow environments

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Bacteria in Fluid Flow

Abstract: Bacteria thrive in environments rich in fluid flow, such as the gastrointestinal tract, bloodstream, aquatic systems, and the urinary tract. Despite the importance of flow, how flow affects bacterial life is underappreciated.

Cited by 10 publications

References 124 publications

Viscosity-dependent determinants of Campylobacter jejuni impacting the velocity of flagellar motility

Viscosity-dependent determinants of Campylobacter jejuni impacting the velocity of flagellar motility

Rheotaxis in Mycoplasma gliding

Free-floating Bacteria Transcriptionally Respond to Shear Flow

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