Biofilms are aggregates of bacterial cells surrounded by an extracellular matrix. Much progress has been made in studying biofilm growth on solid substrates; however, little is known about the biophysical mechanisms underlying biofilm development in three-dimensional confined environments in which the biofilm-dwelling cells must push against and even damage the surrounding environment to proliferate. Here, combining single-cell imaging, mutagenesis, and rheological measurement, we reveal the key morphogenesis steps of
This content will become publicly available on July 1, 2025
Bacterial biofilms are highly abundant 3D living materials capable of performing complex biomechanical and biochemical functions, including programmable growth, self‐repair, filtration, and bioproduction. Methods to measure internal mechanical properties of biofilms in vivo with spatial resolution on the cellular scale have been lacking. Here, thousands of cells are tracked inside living 3D biofilms of the bacterium
- PAR ID:
- 10526114
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Materials
- Volume:
- 36
- Issue:
- 29
- ISSN:
- 0935-9648
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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