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Collective behavior in spatially structured groups, or biofilms, is the norm among microbes in their natural environments. Though biofilm formation has been studied for decades, tracing the mechanistic and ecological links between individual cell morpholog ...
Each bacterial species has a characteristic shape, but the benefits of specific morphologies remain largely unknown. To understand potential functions for cell shape, we focused on the curved bacterium Caulobacter crescentus. Paradoxically, C. crescentus c ...
Type IV pili (TFP) function as mechanosensors to trigger acute virulence programs in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. On surface contact, TFP retraction activates the Chp chemosensory system phosphorelay to upregulate 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) production a ...
We present and demonstrate a novel assay for the detection and quantification of microRNA (miRNA) that leverages isotachophoresis (ITP) and molecular beacon (MB) hybridization. We use ITP to selectively preconcentrate miRNA from total RNA. We simultaneousl ...
We here present and demonstrate a novel technique based on isotachophoresis (ITP) for the quantification of global microRNA (miRNA) abundance in total RNA. We leverage the selectivity of ITP to concentrate miRNA and exclude longer RNA molecules from the fo ...
We present elements of electrolyte dynamics and electrochemistry relevant to microfluidic electrokinetics experiments. In Part I of this two-paper series, we presented a review and introduction to the fundamentals of acid-base chemistry. Here, we first sum ...
The transport of electrolytes in electric fields is a ubiquitous phenomenon commonly harnessed in microfluidics. A classic leaky dielectric model for flow generated by electric fields accurately predicts electrohydrodynamic transport phenomenon but is vali ...
Microorganisms navigate and divide on surfaces to form multicellular structures called biofilms, the most widespread survival strategy found in the bacterial world. One common assumption is that cellular components guide the spatial architecture and arrang ...
Prokaryotes have the ability to walk on surfaces using type IV pili (TFP), a motility mechanism known as twitching(1,2). Molecular motors drive TFP extension and retraction, but whether and how these movements are coordinated is unknown(3). Here, we reveal ...
Bacteria have evolved a wide range of sensing systems to appropriately respond to environmental signals. Here we demonstrate that the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa detects contact with surfaces on short timescales using the mechanical activ ...