Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Houry A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3420162 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Houry Ali A Gohar Michel M Deschamps Julien J Tischenko Ekaterina E Aymerich Stéphane S Gruss Alexandra A Briandet Romain R
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20120705 32
Bacteria grow in either planktonic form or as biofilms, which are attached to either inert or biological surfaces. Both growth forms are highly relevant states in nature and of paramount scientific focus. However, interchanges between bacteria in these two states have been little explored. We discovered that a subpopulation of planktonic bacilli is propelled by flagella to tunnel deep within a biofilm structure. Swimmers create transient pores that increase macromolecular transfer within the bio ...[more]