Abstract
The bacterium Myxococcus xanthus produces multicellular droplets called fruiting bodies when starved. These structures form initially through the active dewetting of a vegetative biofilm into surface-associated droplets. This motility-driven aggregation is succeeded by a primitive developmental process in which cells in the droplets mature into nonmotile spores. Here, we use atomic force microscopy to probe the mechanics of these droplets throughout their formation. Using a combination of time- and frequency-domain rheological experiments, we characterize and develop a simple model of the linear viscoelasticity of these aggregates. We then use this model to quantify how cellular behaviors predominant at different developmental times - motility during the dewetting phase and cellular sporulation during later development - manifest as decreased droplet viscosity and increased elasticity, respectively.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 218402 |
Journal | Physical review letters |
Volume | 130 |
Issue number | 21 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 26 2023 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Physics and Astronomy