Zeng Y
Dynamic swimming pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa near a vertical wall during initial attachment stages of biofilm formation
Studying the swimming behaviour of bacteria in 3 dimensions (3D) allows us to understand critical biological processes, such as biofilm formation. It is still unclear how near wall swimming behaviour may regulate the initial attachment and biofilm formation.
ReadRegulation of flagellar motor switching by c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
The second messenger cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) plays a prominent role in regulating flagellum-dependent motility in the single-flagellated pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The c-di-GMP–mediated signaling pathways and mechanisms that control flagellar output remain to be fully unveiled. Studying surface-tethered and free-swimming P. aeruginosa PAO1 cells, we found that the overexpression of an exogenous diguanylate cyclase (DGC) raises the global cellular c-di-GMP concentration and thereby inhibits flagellar motor switching and decreases motor speed, reducing swimming speed and reversal frequency, respectively.
ReadEnrichment and Identification of Neural Stem Cells in Neurospheres Using Rigidity-Tunable Gels
Neural stem cells (NCSs) are integral to establishing in vitro models and regenerative medicine. To this day, there is an unmet need to enrich these cells from a heterogeneous cell population for clinical applications without irreversible manipulation. We identified a method to propagate human NCSs via computational analysis of their mechanical signature.
ReadHuman mesenchymal stem cell basal membrane bending on gratings is dependent on both grating width and curvature
The topography of the extracellular substrate provides physical cues to elicit specific downstream biophysical and biochemical effects in cells. An example of such a topographical substrate is periodic gratings, where the dimensions of the periodic gratings influence cell morphology and directs cell differentiation.
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