Dataset Information

Bacterial flagellar motility on hydrated rough surfaces controlled by aqueous film thickness and connectedness.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have shown that rates of bacterial dispersion in soils are controlled by hydration conditions that define size and connectivity of the retained aqueous phase. Despite the ecological implications of such constraints, microscale observations of this phenomenon remain scarce. Here, we quantified aqueous film characteristics and bacterial flagellated motility in response to systematic variations in microhydrological conditions on porous ceramic surfaces that mimic unsaturated soils. We directly measured aqueous film thickness and documented its microscale heterogeneity. Flagellar motility was controlled by surface hydration conditions, as cell velocity decreased and dispersion practically ceased at water potentials exceeding -2?kPa (resulting in thinner and disconnected liquid films). The fragmentation of aquatic habitats was delineated indirectly through bacterial dispersal distances within connected aqueous clusters. We documented bacterial dispersal radii ranging from 100 to 10??m as the water potential varied from 0 to -7?kPa, respectively. The observed decrease of flagellated velocity and dispersal ranges at lower matric potentials were in good agreement with mechanistic model predictions. Hydration-restricted habitats thus play significant role in bacterial motility and dispersal, which has potentially important impact on soil microbial ecology and diversity.

SUBMITTER: Tecon R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4725831 | biostudies-other | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Bacterial flagellar motility on hydrated rough surfaces controlled by aqueous film thickness and connectedness.

Tecon Robin R Or Dani D

Scientific reports 20160113

Recent studies have shown that rates of bacterial dispersion in soils are controlled by hydration conditions that define size and connectivity of the retained aqueous phase. Despite the ecological implications of such constraints, microscale observations of this phenomenon remain scarce. Here, we quantified aqueous film characteristics and bacterial flagellated motility in response to systematic variations in microhydrological conditions on porous ceramic surfaces that mimic unsaturated soils. W ...[more]

PMID: 26757676

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Project description:Giardia trophozoites attach to the intestinal microvilli (or inert surfaces) using an undefined "suction-based" mechanism, and remain attached during cell division to avoid peristalsis. Flagellar motility is a key factor in Giardia's pathogenesis and colonization of the host small intestine. Specifically, the beating of the ventral flagella, one of four pairs of motile flagella, has been proposed to generate a hydrodynamic force that results in suction-based attachment via the adjacent ventral disc. We aimed to test this prevailing "hydrodynamic model" of attachment mediated by flagellar motility. We defined four distinct stages of attachment by assessing surface contacts of the trophozoite with the substrate during attachment using TIRF microscopy (TIRFM). The lateral crest of the ventral disc forms a continuous perimeter seal with the substrate, a cytological indication that trophozoites are fully attached. Using trophozoites with two types of molecularly engineered defects in flagellar beating, we determined that neither ventral flagellar beating, nor any flagellar beating, is necessary for the maintenance of attachment. Following a morpholino-based knockdown of PF16, a central pair protein, both the beating and morphology of flagella were defective, but trophozoites could still initiate proper surface contacts as seen using TIRFM and could maintain attachment in several biophysical assays. Trophozoites with impaired motility were able to attach as well as motile cells. We also generated a strain with defects in the ventral flagellar waveform by overexpressing a dominant negative form of alpha2-annexin::GFP (D122A, D275A). This dominant negative alpha2-annexin strain could initiate attachment and had only a slight decrease in the ability to withstand normal and shear forces. The time needed for attachment did increase in trophozoites with overall defective flagellar beating, however. Thus while not directly required for attachment, flagellar motility is important for positioning and orienting trophozoites prior to attachment. Drugs affecting flagellar motility may result in lower levels of attachment by indirectly limiting the number of parasites that can position the ventral disc properly against a surface and against peristaltic flow.

Dataset Information

Bacterial flagellar motility on hydrated rough surfaces controlled by aqueous film thickness and connectedness.

Publications

Bacterial flagellar motility on hydrated rough surfaces controlled by aqueous film thickness and connectedness.

Similar Datasets

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