Mathematical models for bacterial propulsion and pattern formation

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

The investigator constructs mathematical models for bacterial propulsion and pattern formation. Attention is restricted mostly to two classes of bacteria: myxobacteria and mollicutes. This work is performed in collaboration or correspondence with experimental laboratories engaged in studies of these organisms. The models are primarily directed towards understanding and explaining their experimental observations. The specific goals of this project are to model (i) the gliding mechanisms of Myxobacteria and Mollicutes, (ii) the swimming mechanisms of E. coli and Synechococcus, and (iii) aggregation and fruiting body formation in Myxobacteria. The investigator develops mathematical and computational models of different mechanisms by which bacteria move. Bacteria use many different mechanisms to move about on surfaces and through fluids. The term "gliding" is used to describe the motion of bacteria on surfaces when there is no visible means of propulsion. The investigator studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie this mysterious form of locomotion. Many bacteria swim, driven by rotating "propellors" called flagella. However, the motor mechanism that turns this propellor has not been worked out, and is a focus of this project. The photosynthetic bacterium, Synechococcus, lives in the oceans, and constitutes the most abundant organism on the planet. How it swims is a longstanding mystery, for it has no visible propulsive organelle on its surface. The investigator and his colleagues suggest and model a mechanism for how this bacterium swims. The broader impact of these studies grows from the insights they provide into the propulsion, development, and mechanochemistry of bacteria, many of which are important pathogens of great medical interest.