Self-buckling and self-writhing of semi-flexible microorganisms

文献情報

出版日 2023-09-21

DOI 10.1039/D3SM00572K

インパクトファクター 3.679

著者

Wilson Lough, Douglas B. Weibel

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要旨

The twisting and writhing of a cell body and associated mechanical stresses is an underappreciated constraint on microbial self-propulsion. Multi-flagellated bacteria can even buckle and writhe under their own activity as they swim through a viscous fluid. New equilibrium configurations and steady-state dynamics then emerge which depend on the organism's mechanical properties and on the oriented distribution of flagella along its surface. Modeling the cell body as a semi-flexible Kirchhoff rod and coupling the mechanics to a flagellar orientation field, we derive the Euler–Poincaré equations governing the dynamics of the system, and rationalize experimental observations of buckling and writhing of elongated swarmer cells of the bacterium Proteus mirabilis. A sequence of bifurcations is identified as the body is made more compliant, due to both buckling and torsional instabilities. These studies highlight a practical requirement for the stiffness of bacteria below which self-buckling occurs and cell motility becomes ineffective.

掲載誌

Soft Matter

CiteScore: 6

自己引用率: 10.3%

年間論文数: 856

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