MSGID: 1:317/3 62735309   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Researchers manipulate demographic of bacterial community with novel   
   electronic technology    
      
     Date:   
         May 4, 2022   
     Source:   
         University of California - San Diego   
     Summary:   
         Using second-long electrical shocks, scientists discovered they   
         could control the types of cells in a community of bacteria. Being   
         able to direct the ratio of cells holds implications for settings   
         spanning agriculture to health care, where antibiotic resistance   
         is a significant threat.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Clusters of microscopic bacteria exist all around us. These invisible   
   communities, known as biofilms, are found in habitats ranging from our   
   skin surface to sewer pipes and play integral roles in environments   
   spanning healthcare to agriculture.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Molecular biologists and physicists at the University of California San   
   Diego have joined forces to develop a novel method of using electrical   
   shocks to control the development of communities of bacteria. Their   
   findings, obtained with a newly developed technology, are significant   
   from a medical perspective.   
      
   In areas where bacteria growth is a concern, biofilms can lead to chronic   
   infections, especially in locations such as hospitals where antibiotic   
   resistance is a major health threat.   
      
   Much like other multi-cellular organisms, biofilms are composed of various   
   cell types that carry out specialized roles. For example, matrix-producing   
   cells provide the structural "glue" that holds the bacterial community   
   together while motile cells play a role in the formation and spread   
   of biofilms. The balance of these two cell types defines the physical   
   and biological properties of the biofilm and is also important for its   
   development. If there are too many matrix-producing cells, the biofilm   
   becomes too rigid and cannot grow efficiently. If there are too many   
   motile cells, the biofilm disintegrates as the cells swim away. Thus,   
   changing the ratio of these two cell types offers a precise method for   
   controlling biofilms.   
      
   As described May 4, 2022 in the journal Cell Systems, a team at UC San   
   Diego with postdoctoral scholar Colin Comerci and fellow researchers in   
   the laboratory of Professor Gu"rol Su"el in the Department of Molecular   
   Biology, along with colleagues in the Department of Physics, developed a   
   novel microfluidic device and combined it with a multi-electrode array,   
   which allowed them to apply localized electric shocks to a growing   
   biofilm.   
      
   To the researchers' surprise, electrical stimulation caused motile   
   cells to multiply, even though all cells in the biofilm are genetically   
   identical.   
      
   "While it is known that electrical shocks can kill cells, here we show   
   that they can cause growth of a specific sub-type of cells," said Su"el,   
   a Biological Sciences professor with affiliations in the San Diego Center   
   for Systems Biology, BioCircuits Institute and Center for Microbiome   
   Innovation.   
      
   "How a second-long stimulation can promote growth for hours and only   
   of one type of cells is a great puzzle that we are eager to solve."   
   "Being able to modulate cell types in this way is not just important for   
   understanding biofilms," said Comerci. "The electrochemical signals we   
   used are similar to signals used during development in more complicated   
   organisms like frogs, fish or even humans. Thus, our findings may offer   
   analogies to other biological systems."  Why electrical stimulation   
   boosts the population of one cell type rather than another remains a   
   mystery and continues to be studied at the Su"el laboratory.   
      
   Such influence, the researchers say, provides control of the biofilm's   
   composition and development, and may offer a new tool to destabilize   
   biofilms in healthcare and agriculture settings.   
      
   The paper's full author list includes: Colin Comerci, Alan Gillman,   
   Leticia Galera-Laporta, Edgar Gutierrez, Alex Groisman, Joseph Larkin,   
   Jordi Garcia- Ojalvo and Gu"rol Su"el.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   University_of_California_-_San_Diego. Original written by Mario   
   Aguilera. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Related Multimedia:   
       * Bacteria,_biofilms   
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Colin J. Comerci, Alan L. Gillman, Leticia Galera-Laporta, Edgar   
         Gutierrez, Alex Groisman, Joseph W. Larkin, Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo,   
         Gu"rol M. Su"el. Localized electrical stimulation triggers   
         cell-type-specific proliferation in biofilms. Cell Systems, 2022;   
         DOI: 10.1016/ j.cels.2022.04.001   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220504110419.htm   
      
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