Flagellum-driven motility enhances <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> biofilm formation by altering cell orientation.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial motility plays a crucial role in biofilm development, yet the underlying mechanism remains not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that the flagellum-driven motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa enhances biofilm formation by altering the orientation of bacterial cells, an effect controlled by shear stress rather than shear rate. By tracking wild-type P. aeruginosa and its non-motile mutants in a microfluidic channel, we demonstrate that while non-motile cells align with the flow, many motile cells can orient toward the channel sidewalls, enhancing cell surface attachment and increasing biofilm cell density by up to 10-fold. Experiments with varying fluid viscosities further demonstrate that bacterial swimming speed decreases with increasing fluid viscosity, and the

SUBMITTER: Wei G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12285247 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature