40+ years of science |
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| I will be retiring on July 1, 2016, after nearly 45 years in science and scientific research. I don't see this as retiring, but instead I look forward to pursuing my other passions including photography, jazz, and gardening. As this phase comes to an end, I want to take this opportunity to thank my many mentors, colleagues, and students who have graced me with their presence, knowledge, and friendship throughout these many years. I have fond memories of you that will stay with me forever. Best wishes, Bob. | |
Recent publications receive acclaim |
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| Two of our scientific papers have been highlighted in recent months. "Biofilms, flagella, and mechanosensing of surfaces by bacteria" (published in Trends in Microbiology) was voted as one of the ten best papers of 2014 by the editors, while "Loss of FliL alters Proteus mirabilis surface-sensing and temperature-dependent swarming" (Journal of Bacteriology) was one of three papers selected as an article of significant interest by the editors of that journal. Both papers are available for downloading in "Recent Publications". | |
Defining the function of flagellar protein FliL offers clues on how cells sense a surface |
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Studies with several bacteria species have implicated FliL,
a flagellar motor-associated protein, as critical to swarming motility
and, in Proteus mirabilis, mechanosensing of a surface prior to biofilm formation. We recently reported in the Journal of Bacteriology on the construction of a near-total deletion of P. mirabilis fliL. In contrast with other fliL defects, cells with a deletion of fliL possess temperature-dependent swarming and become more responsive to low-viscosity surfaces. A fliL strain of Escherichia coli phenocopies the P. mirabilis fliL strain in being Swr+ with an alteration in temperature-dependent motility. These results suggest a role for FliL in modulating motor energetics during biofilm formation.. Here are the details. |
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Publication of "Biofilms, flagella, and mechanosensing of surfaces by bacteria" |
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| How does a bacterium 'know' it is on or near a surface? Formation of a bacterial biofilm is a developmental process that begins when a cell attaches to a surface. The phase of this ‘swim-or-stick’ switch is determined by a sensory transduction mechanism referred to as surface sensing, which involves the rotating bacterial flagellum. This review explores six bacterial species as models of flagellar mechanosensing of surfaces to understand the current state of our knowledge and the challenges that lie ahead. If you would like more information, please go here. | |
Publication of "When the swimming gets tough, the tough form a biofilm" |
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| Bob's MicroCommentary on flagella as mechanosensors that detect surfaces is now available in electronic form on the Molecular Microbiology website. His MicroCommentary details the recent publication by the Stanley-Wall laboratory showing that the flagellum of Bacillus subtilis functions as a mechanosensor of surfaces. This finding adds to a growing body of evidence, first reported in Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Proteus mirabilis, that bacteria monitor the function of their rotating flagella and use this information to determine when nearing a surface. Inhibition of flagellar rotation or more precisely the torque created by it appears to act as a trigger to induce expression of the genes need to form a biofilm, thus allowing the bacteria to remain attached to a surface. These findings have major implications about the molecular mechanism underlying the control of the 'swim-or-stick' switch bacteria use to move from a motile to sessile lifestyle. Read more here. | |
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