Bacteria Navigate on Surfaces Using A 'Sense of Touch'
Published:11 Aug.2021 Source:Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Many disease-causing bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa crawl on surfaces through a walk-like motility known as "twitching." Nanometers-wide filaments called type IV pili are known to power twitching, but scientists ignore which sensory signals coordinate the microbes' movements.
Now, EPFL researchers have found that Pseudomonas bacteria use a mechanism similar to our sense of touch to navigate on surfaces. "This study changes the way we think about motility in bacteria," says senior author Alexandre Persat, a tenure track assistant professor at EPFL's School of Life Sciences.