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dc.contributor.authorMarcos
dc.contributor.authorFu, Henry C.
dc.contributor.authorPowers, Thomas R.
dc.contributor.authorStocker, Roman
dc.date.accessioned2013-03-22T18:54:13Z
dc.date.available2013-03-22T18:54:13Z
dc.date.issued2012-03
dc.date.submitted2011-12
dc.identifier.issn0027-8424
dc.identifier.issn1091-6490
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77988
dc.description.abstractThe motility of organisms is often directed in response to environmental stimuli. Rheotaxis is the directed movement resulting from fluid velocity gradients, long studied in fish, aquatic invertebrates, and spermatozoa. Using carefully controlled microfluidic flows, we show that rheotaxis also occurs in bacteria. Excellent quantitative agreement between experiments with Bacillus subtilis and a mathematical model reveals that bacterial rheotaxis is a purely physical phenomenon, in contrast to fish rheotaxis but in the same way as sperm rheotaxis. This previously unrecognized bacterial taxis results from a subtle interplay between velocity gradients and the helical shape of flagella, which together generate a torque that alters a bacterium's swimming direction. Because this torque is independent of the presence of a nearby surface, bacterial rheotaxis is not limited to the immediate neighborhood of liquid–solid interfaces, but also takes place in the bulk fluid. We predict that rheotaxis occurs in a wide range of bacterial habitats, from the natural environment to the human body, and can interfere with chemotaxis, suggesting that the fitness benefit conferred by bacterial motility may be sharply reduced in some hydrodynamic conditions.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant CBET-0966000)en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant CBET-0967510)en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant CBET-1067798 )en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant OCE-0744641-CAREER)en_US
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherNational Academy of Sciences (U.S.)en_US
dc.relation.isversionofhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1120955109en_US
dc.rightsArticle is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.en_US
dc.sourcePNASen_US
dc.titleBacterial Rheotaxisen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.identifier.citationMarcos et al. “Bacterial Rheotaxis.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109.13 (2012): 4780–4785. CrossRef. Web. © 2012 National Academy of Sciences.en_US
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineeringen_US
dc.contributor.departmentParsons Laboratory for Environmental Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)en_US
dc.contributor.mitauthorStocker, Roman
dc.relation.journalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of Americaen_US
dc.eprint.versionFinal published versionen_US
dc.type.urihttp://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticleen_US
eprint.statushttp://purl.org/eprint/status/PeerRevieweden_US
dspace.orderedauthorsMarcos; Fu, H. C.; Powers, T. R.; Stocker, R.en
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3199-0508
mit.licensePUBLISHER_POLICYen_US
mit.metadata.statusComplete


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