@article{HintscheWaljorGrossmannetal.2017, author = {Hintsche, Marius and Waljor, Veronika and Grossmann, Robert and K{\"u}hn, Marco J. and Thormann, Kai M. and Peruani, Fernando and Beta, Carsten}, title = {A polar bundle of flagella can drive bacterial swimming by pushing, pulling, or coiling around the cell body}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {7}, journal = {Scientific reports}, publisher = {Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-017-16428-9}, pages = {10}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Bacteria swim in sequences of straight runs that are interrupted by turning events. They drive their swimming locomotion with the help of rotating helical flagella. Depending on the number of flagella and their arrangement across the cell body, different run-and-turn patterns can be observed. Here, we present fluorescence microscopy recordings showing that cells of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida that are decorated with a polar tuft of helical flagella, can alternate between two distinct swimming patterns. On the one hand, they can undergo a classical push-pull-push cycle that is well known from monopolarly flagellated bacteria but has not been reported for species with a polar bundle of multiple flagella. Alternatively, upon leaving the pulling mode, they can enter a third slow swimming phase, where they propel themselves with their helical bundle wrapped around the cell body. A theoretical estimate based on a random-walk model shows that the spreading of a population of swimmers is strongly enhanced when cycling through a sequence of pushing, pulling, and wrapped flagellar configurations as compared to the simple push-pull-push pattern.}, language = {en} } @article{AnielskiBarbosaPfannesBeta2017, author = {Anielski, Alexander and Barbosa Pfannes, Eva Katharina and Beta, Carsten}, title = {Adaptive microfluidic gradient generator for quantitative chemotaxis experiments}, series = {Review of scientific instruments : a monthly journal devoted to scientific instruments, apparatus, and techniques}, volume = {88}, journal = {Review of scientific instruments : a monthly journal devoted to scientific instruments, apparatus, and techniques}, publisher = {American Institute of Physics}, address = {Melville}, issn = {0034-6748}, doi = {10.1063/1.4978535}, pages = {10}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Chemotactic motion in a chemical gradient is an essential cellular function that controls many processes in the living world. For a better understanding and more detailed modelling of the underlying mechanisms of chemotaxis, quantitative investigations in controlled environments are needed. We developed a setup that allows us to separately address the dependencies of the chemotactic motion on the average background concentration and on the gradient steepness of the chemoattractant. In particular, both the background concentration and the gradient steepness can be kept constant at the position of the cell while it moves along in the gradient direction. This is achieved by generating a well-defined chemoattractant gradient using flow photolysis. In this approach, the chemoattractant is released by a light-induced reaction from a caged precursor in a microfluidic flow chamber upstream of the cell. The flow photolysis approach is combined with an automated real-time cell tracker that determines changes in the cell position and triggers movement of the microscope stage such that the cell motion is compensated and the cell remains at the same position in the gradient profile. The gradient profile can be either determined experimentally using a caged fluorescent dye or may be alternatively determined by numerical solutions of the corresponding physical model. To demonstrate the function of this adaptive microfluidic gradient generator, we compare the chemotactic motion of Dictyostelium discoideum cells in a static gradient and in a gradient that adapts to the position of the moving cell. Published by AIP Publishing.}, language = {en} } @article{StangeHintscheSachseetal.2017, author = {Stange, Maike and Hintsche, Marius and Sachse, Kirsten and Gerhardt, Matthias and Valleriani, Angelo and Beta, Carsten}, title = {Analyzing the spatial positioning of nuclei in polynuclear giant cells}, series = {Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics}, volume = {50}, journal = {Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics}, number = {46}, publisher = {IOP Publ. Ltd.}, address = {Bristol}, issn = {0022-3727}, doi = {10.1088/1361-6463/aa8da0}, pages = {8}, year = {2017}, abstract = {How cells establish and maintain a well-defined size is a fundamental question of cell biology. Here we investigated to what extent the microtubule cytoskeleton can set a predefined cell size, independent of an enclosing cell membrane. We used electropulse-induced cell fusion to form giant multinuclear cells of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. Based on dual-color confocal imaging of cells that expressed fluorescent markers for the cell nucleus and the microtubules, we determined the subcellular distributions of nuclei and centrosomes in the giant cells. Our two- and three-dimensional imaging results showed that the positions of nuclei in giant cells do not fall onto a regular lattice. However, a comparison with model predictions for random positioning showed that the subcellular arrangement of nuclei maintains a low but still detectable degree of ordering. This can be explained by the steric requirements of the microtubule cytoskeleton, as confirmed by the effect of a microtubule degrading drug.}, language = {en} } @misc{AlirezaeizanjaniWaljorHintscheetal.2017, author = {Alirezaeizanjani, Zahra and Waljor, V. and Hintsche, Marius and Beta, Carsten}, title = {How growth conditions affect bacterial chemotaxis responses}, series = {European biophysics journal : with biophysics letters ; an international journal of biophysics}, volume = {46}, journal = {European biophysics journal : with biophysics letters ; an international journal of biophysics}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0175-7571}, pages = {S281 -- S281}, year = {2017}, language = {en} } @article{BetaKruse2017, author = {Beta, Carsten and Kruse, Karsten}, title = {Intracellular oscillations and waves}, series = {Annual review of condensed matter physics}, volume = {8}, journal = {Annual review of condensed matter physics}, publisher = {Annual Reviews}, address = {Palo Alto}, isbn = {978-0-8243-5008-6}, issn = {1947-5454}, doi = {10.1146/annurev-conmatphys-031016-025210}, pages = {239 -- 264}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Dynamic processes in living cells are highly organized in space and time. Unraveling the underlying molecular mechanisms of spatiotemporal pattern formation remains one of the outstanding challenges at the interface between physics and biology. A fundamental recurrent pattern found in many different cell types is that of self-sustained oscillations. They are involved in a wide range of cellular functions, including second messenger signaling, gene expression, and cytoskeletal dynamics. Here, we review recent developments in the field of cellular oscillations and focus on cases where concepts from physics have been instrumental for understanding the underlying mechanisms. We consider biochemical and genetic oscillators as well as oscillations that arise from chemo-mechanical coupling. Finally, we highlight recent studies of intracellular waves that have increasingly moved into the focus of this research field.}, language = {en} }