Berlin 2024 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 9: Poster Session Ib

BP 9.1: Poster

Monday, March 18, 2024, 18:00–20:30, Poster D

Substrate functionalization reveals the electrostatic nature of flagellar adhesion to surfaces — •Lea Rupprecht¹, Rodrigo Catalan¹, Antoine Girot¹, Christian Kreis², and Oliver Bäumchen^1,2 — ¹University of Bayreuth, Experimental Physics V, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany — ²Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS), Am Fassberg 17, 37077 Göttingen, Germany

Elucidating the physical phenomena underlying the interactions between microorganisms and surfaces is crucial for the development of technologies that aim to control the formation of microbial biofilms. While most of the studies use bacteria as model organisms, the principles of microbial adhesion remain elusive for eukaryotic photosynthetic microorganisms. We recently discovered that the model unicellular microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii adheres to surfaces by means of its two flagella under specific light conditions [Kreis et al., Nature Physics, 2018]. Using in vivo single-cell micropipette force spectroscopy, we characterized the adhesion forces on surface-functionalized substrates in order to dissect the influence of surface energy, hydrophobicity, long-ranged van der Waals and electrostatic interactions [Kreis et al., Soft Matter, 2019]. We found that the flagellar adhesion of C. reinhardtii cells to surfaces is unspecific and predominantly governed by electrostatic interactions. Here, we present adhesion force measurements of C. reinhardtii on surfaces with tailored electrostatic interactions, e.g. poly-L-lysin-coated silicon wafers.

Keywords: Cell adhesion; Chlamydomonas; Flagella; Surface functionalization