Fluid Flow as a Driver of Bacterial Cell Division, Surface Motility, and Spreading

该项目结合了微生物学，工程学和物理学的专业知识，以促进对流体流动如何影响细菌形状，运动性和传播的理解。有许多因素可以解释细菌的丰度。例如，发现细菌具有不同的形态，每个物种都有特定的特征形状，这表明形状处于强烈的选择压力下。因此，了解特定形状的生理益处是基础生物学中的一个基本问题。此外，细菌已经进化出许多运动机制，使得能够在液体环境和固体表面上运动。虽然鞭毛驱动的游泳在液体环境中已被广泛表征，但对表面运动性知之甚少，甚至更少了解流动对建立独特的微生物表面或近表面反应的影响。最后，自然界中细菌种群适应性的主要决定因素是它们在当前环境中生长/分裂的能力以及它们传播到能够支持其生长的新环境中的能力。关于细菌如何在流动的情况下传播，人们知之甚少。每一个主题都是通过将分子生物学的实验工具与工程和物理学的实验和理论观点相结合来解决的。特别是，这项工作将（i）研究流动如何差异影响不同形状的细菌的分裂，（ii）研究流体流动对细菌表面运动的影响，并研究流体流动在影响细菌传播中的作用（iii）近表面粘附细胞和（iv）表面附着种群。 这项研究的更广泛的影响将包括在分子生物学，生物物理学，工程和物理学的领先期刊上发表的PI，接待来自不同学科和机构的访客，让本科生参与研究，在会议上发表演讲，领导本科生，研究生和博士后同事的专业发展活动，并参与面向代表性不足群体的年轻研究人员的研究计划。此外，研究所还成功地将研究主题纳入针对青年人的外展活动，如为中学生举办的讲座和活动以及为儿童和家长举办的“假日”讲座。外联活动与该项目直接相关，反映了PI致力于从事教学和指导未来的研究科学家。

This project combines expertises in microbiology, engineering, and physics to advance understanding of how fluid flow affects bacterial shape, motility and spreading. There are many factors that account for the abundance of bacteria. For example, bacteria are found with different morphologies and each species has a specific characteristic shape, suggesting that shape is under intense selective pressure. Therefore, understanding the physiological benefits of specific shapes is a fundamental question in basic biology. In addition, bacteria have evolved a number of motility mechanisms that enable movement in liquid environments and on solid surfaces. While flagellar-driven swimming in liquid environments has been characterized extensively, far less is known about surface motility, and even less is known about the influence of flow on establishing unique microbial surface, or near-surface, responses. Finally, the major determinants of the fitness of bacterial populations in nature are their ability to grow/divide in their current environment and their ability to spread into new environments capable of supporting their growth. Little is known about how bacteria spread in the presence of flow. Each of these themes is addressed in this project by integrating the experimental tools of molecular biology with the experimental and theoretical perspectives of engineering and physics. In particular, this work will (i) study how flow differentially impacts the division of bacteria with different shapes, (ii) investigate the effect of fluid flow on bacterial surface motility and study the role of fluid flow in affecting bacterial spreading for both (iii) near-surface planktonic cells and (iv) surface-attached populations. The broader impact of this research will include the PIs publishing in leading journals across molecular biology, biophysics, engineering, and physics, hosting visitors from different disciplines and institutions, engaging undergraduate students in research, giving talks at conferences, leading professional development activities for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral colleagues, and participating in research programs oriented towards young researchers from under-represented groups. Also, the PIs have successfully incorporated research themes into outreach activities aimed at young people such as lectures and activities for secondary school students and "holiday" lectures for children and parents. The outreach activities are directly linked to the project and reflect the PIs commitment to being engaged in teaching and mentoring future research scientists.