RT Journal Article
T1 Differential growth of wrinkled biofilms
A1 Espeso, D.R.
A1 Carpio Rodríguez, Ana María
A1 Einarsson, B.
AB Biofilms are antibiotic-resistant bacterial aggregates that grow on moist surfaces and can trigger hospital-acquired infections. They provide a classical example in biology where the dynamics of cellular communities may be observed and studied. Gene expression regulates cell division and differentiation, which affect the biofilm architecture. Mechanical and chemical processes shape the resulting structure. We gain insight into the interplay between cellular and mechanical processes during biofilm development on air-agar interfaces by means of a hybrid model. Cellular behavior is governed by stochastic rules informed by a cascade of concentration fields for nutrients, waste and autoinducers. Cellular differentiation and death alter the structure and the mechanical properties of the biofilm, which is deformed according to Foppl-Von Karman equations informed by cellular processes and the interaction with the substratum. Stiffness gradients due to growth and swelling produce wrinkle branching. We are able to reproduce wrinkled structures often formed by biofilms on air-agar interfaces, as well as spatial distributions of differentiated cells commonly observed with B. subtilis.
PB American Physical Society
SN 1539-3755
YR 2015
FD 2015
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/33987
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/33987
LA eng
NO Comunidad de Madrid
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
NO Fundación Caja Madrid
NO e NILS Mobility project (European Economic Area-EEA grant)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 10 abr 2025