Changes in the flagellar bundling time account for variations in swimming behavior of flagellated bacteria in viscous media.

ABSTRACT: Although the motility of the flagellated bacteria, Escherichia coli, has been widely studied, the effect of viscosity on swimming speed remains controversial. The swimming mode of wild-type E. coli is often idealized as a run-and-tumble sequence in which periods of swimming at a constant speed are randomly interrupted by a sudden change of direction at a very low speed. Using a tracking microscope, we follow cells for extended periods of time in Newtonian liquids of varying viscosity and find that the swimming behavior of a single cell can exhibit a variety of behaviors, including run and tumble and "slow random walk" in which the cells move at a relatively low speed. Although the characteristic swimming speed varies between individuals and in different polymer solutions, we

SUBMITTER: Qu Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5828589 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature