Encapsulated bacteria deform lipid vesicles into flagellated swimmers

Le Nagard, Lucas; Brown, Aidan T.; Dawson, Angela; Martinez, Vincent A.; Poon, Wilson C.K.; Staykova, Margarita

Abstract

We study a synthetic system of motile Escherichia coli bacteria encapsulated inside giant lipid vesicles. Forces exerted by the bacteria on the inner side of the membrane are sufficient to extrude membrane tubes filled with one or several bacteria. We show that a physical coupling between the membrane tube and the flagella of the enclosed cells transforms the tube into an effective helical flagellum propelling the vesicle. We develop a simple theoretical model to estimate the propulsive force from the speed of the vesicles and demonstrate the good efficiency of this coupling mechanism. Together, these results point to design principles for conferring motility to synthetic cells.

Citation

Le Nagard, L., Brown, A. T., Dawson, A., Martinez, V. A., Poon, W. C., & Staykova, M. (2022). Encapsulated bacteria deform lipid vesicles into flagellated swimmers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(34), https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2206096119

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 29, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Aug 15, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022
• Deposit Date: Sep 15, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 16, 2022
• Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
• Print ISSN: 0027-8424
• Electronic ISSN: 1091-6490
• Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 119
• Issue: 34
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2206096119
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1194308