SKM 2023 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 6: Bacterial Mechanics

BP 6.5: Hauptvortrag

Montag, 27. März 2023, 16:15–16:45, BAR 0106

Mechanical and electrical properties of bacterial biofilms modulate antibiotic tolerance — •Berenike Maier — Institute for Biological Physics and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne

Aggregation into colonies and biofilms can enhance bacterial survivability under antibiotic treatment. Yet, the transition between the life as an individual cell and life within a biofilm is poorly understood. We investigate this transition using the human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus). Within minutes, these bacteria self-assemble into spherical colonies comprising thousands of cells. We show that freshly assembled colonies are reminiscent of liquid droplets whose viscosity can be tuned by the pilus-mediated attractive force between bacterial cells. The viscosity correlates with antibiotic tolerance. Next to mechanical properties, we investigate the electrical properties of gonococcal colonies. We show that once the colonies have reached a critical size, the membrane polarization transitions from uncorrelated to collective dynamics. The spatial polarization pattern correlates with patterns of distict growth rates and antibiotic tolerance. In summary, both mechanical and electrical properties of bacterial colonies affect survivability under external stresses.