Single-Cell Control of Initial Spatial Structure in Biofilm Development Using Laser Trapping

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2014

Publication Source

Langmuir

Abstract

Biofilms are sessile communities of microbes that are spatially structured by an embedding matrix. Biofilm infections are notoriously intractable. This arises, in part, from changes in the bacterial phenotype that result from spatial structure. Understanding these interactions requires methods to control the spatial structure of biofilms. We present a method for growing biofilms from initiating cells whose positions are controlled with single-cell precision using laser trapping. The native growth, motility, and surface adhesion of positioned microbes are preserved, as we show for model organisms Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. We demonstrate that laser-trapping and placing bacteria on surfaces can reveal the effects of spatial structure on bacterial growth in early biofilm development.

Inclusive pages

4522–4530

ISBN/ISSN

0743-7463

Comments

Permission documentation is on file.

Publisher

American Chemical Society

Volume

30

Peer Reviewed

yes

Issue

15


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