Navigation Links
University of Houston professor co-authors PNAS paper on how bacteria move
Date:7/25/2011

Jacinta Conrad, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Houston, likens her research into how bacteria move to "tracking bright spots on a dark background."

Using a digital camera affixed to a microscope, Conrad and her collaborators videotape hours of moving bacteria. They then analyze these tens of thousands of images to determine exactly how they cross surfaces before forming biofilms, colonies of potentially dangerous bacteria that can be found in industrial, natural and hospital environments.

Conrad has co-authored an article on the subject that is featured in the new issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), one of the nation's most prestigious scientific journals.

"This marks another step in our effort to fully understand how bacteria move along a surface," said Conrad, who co-authored a related paper that appeared last fall in Science.

Understanding how bacteria move on their way to forming biofilms could lead to discovering ways to hinder or prevent this process.

Biofilms can form on food processing equipment, potentially leading to food-borne illnesses, and on medical implants, leading to high rates of infection in hospitals. They also can disrupt the flow of sewage and oil pipelines and increase drag on marine vessels, slowing ships and wasting fuel, among other things.

In the Science paper, Conrad and her collaborators detailed how bacteria use hair-like appendages called pili to pull themselves upright and "walk" across a surface.

The research in the PNAS paper builds on that finding, with researchers discovering that the bacteria employ a "slingshot" motion to move using multiple pili, which act as grappling hooks. Conrad said that bacteria rapidly "snap" to a new orientation when they release one pilus, while others remain attached. This is because the bacteria re-orients in the direction of the net force from the remaining
'/>"/>

Contact: Laura Tolley
ljtolley@uh.edu
713-743-0778
University of Houston
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Changing Planet town hall at Arizona State University: Adapting to our water future
2. Moessbauer group of Mainz University preparing for participation in Japanese moon mission
3. University of Kentucky-led research could be path to new energy sources
4. University of Houston researcher an author of multi-institutional genetic study of ovarian cancer
5. Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and George Mason University expand partnership
6. University of Houstons Biotech Program gets state grant
7. Clemson University and the University of Queensland form biofuels research partnership
8. Syracuse University biologist discovers key regulators for biofilm development
9. Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation funds University of Miamis R.J. Dunlap Program
10. Ben-Gurion University team presents environment movement report to Israels Knesset
11. Hong Kong University leads the genomics research of scarlet fever pathogen
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/21/2013)... world,s largest scientific society, invites news media coverage ... 8-12, 2013, in Indianapolis, Ind. It will take ... area hotels. , With more than 7,100 presentations ... from astronomy to zoology ― the meeting will ... assortment of spot news and feature possibilities. The ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... the path of insulin action in cells in precise ... for understanding what goes wrong in diabetes. , ... David James from Sydney,s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, ... the prestigious journal Cell Metabolism . , First ... important role in the body because it helps us ...
(Date:5/20/2013)... Bacteria resistant to the antibiotic colistin are also ... human body, according to a study in ... American Society for Microbiology. Cross-resistance to colistin and ... the body against bacterial attack, could mean that ... saddled with a crippled immune response. Colistin is ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells 2Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells 3Resistance to last-line antibiotic makes bacteria resistant to immune system 2Resistance to last-line antibiotic makes bacteria resistant to immune system 3
... Nano Letters , recently published an article highlighting ... a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at ... "1.6 V Nanogenerator for Mechanical Energy Harvesting Using ... miniature energy harvesting technologies that could potentially power ...
... Tulane University will ... Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the ... Excellence in Malaria Research for West and Central Africa. The ... from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. ...
... MERMAID Marine Environmental Remote-controlled Measuring And Integrated ... engineers developed automatic sensors and analyzers, mounted on ... and record chemical and biological changes to water. ... of the intergovernmental GOOS, Global Ocean Observing System. ...
Cached Biology News:Nano Letters publishes Dr. Yong Shi's energy harvesting technology 2MERMAID opens prospect of cleaner seas with pollution early warning system 2MERMAID opens prospect of cleaner seas with pollution early warning system 3
(Date:5/22/2013)... 22, 2013  Moderna Therapeutics, the pioneering company developing ... enable the in vivo production of therapeutic ... will join Moderna in early July as its ... a proven leader in the design and implementation of ... discovery to translation, clinical operations and commercial preparedness. John ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... Custom Learning Designs, Inc.(CLD) unveils ... using Tin Can API combined with its own ... a leading developer of training content and solutions ... , Tin Can API is a cost-effective ... trainers more accurately measure the Return on Education ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... ISTANBUL , May 21, 2013 ...  European Dialysis and Transplant Association) is the biggest congress ... renal replacement therapy. Nearly 10,000 participants are in ... discuss the latest research findings. New pioneering studies have ... al. "SOLUBLE FERRIC PYROPHOSPHATE (SFP) ADMINISTERED VIA HEMODIALYSATE REDUCES ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... May 21, 2013 According to ... ( http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com ) "Biochip Products and Services Market (Microarrays, ... Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 - 2018," the ... and is expected to grow at a CAGR of ... value of USD 4.7 billion in 2018. ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Industry Leader John Reynders Joins Moderna Therapeutics as Chief Information Officer 2Industry Leader John Reynders Joins Moderna Therapeutics as Chief Information Officer 3CLD Integrates Tin CAN API with its eLearning Solutions and Launches its Excelerometer Tracking Statement Dashboard 2CLD Integrates Tin CAN API with its eLearning Solutions and Launches its Excelerometer Tracking Statement Dashboard 3ERA-EDTA CONGRESS 2013: Late Breaking Clinical Trials 2ERA-EDTA CONGRESS 2013: Late Breaking Clinical Trials 3The U.S. Biochip Products and Services Market is Expected to Reach USD 4.7 Billion in 2018: Transparency Market Research 2The U.S. Biochip Products and Services Market is Expected to Reach USD 4.7 Billion in 2018: Transparency Market Research 3The U.S. Biochip Products and Services Market is Expected to Reach USD 4.7 Billion in 2018: Transparency Market Research 4The U.S. Biochip Products and Services Market is Expected to Reach USD 4.7 Billion in 2018: Transparency Market Research 5
... 5 Sigma-Aldrich Corporation,(Nasdaq: SIAL ), will ... results on Wednesday, October 24, 2007, at 11:00 ... call is being webcast by Thomson/CCBN and can ... http://www.sigma-aldrich.com . The webcast is also being ...
... to Provide Business Systems and Technology Support to NIH Office of ... ... SRA International, Inc.,(NYSE: SRX ), a leading provider of ... been,awarded a competitive task order to provide a broad range of ...
... a,Competitive Pharmaceutical Market (CCPM) issued the following statement,today ... its,"Generic Initiative for Value and Efficiency" (GIVE): ... to manage escalating prescription drug costs, it is ... ways to enhance timely generic access.,Today,s announcement of ...
Cached Biology Technology:Sigma-Aldrich Corporation's 3rd Quarter 2007 Earnings Conference Call 2National Institutes of Health Awards $25.5M Contract to SRA 2CCPM Issues Statement on FDA's GIVE Initiative 2
... 19 x 29 cm, 1. One ... staining of Coomassie Blue or silver-stain gels ... blots for high sensitivity ECL detection and ... volume, and processing time.Proven design for consistent, ...
Cytidine 5'-Triphosphate, Sodium (CTP), 1 g. Category: Nucleotides & Enzymes & Biochemicals, Nucleotides, Additional Nucleotide Products....
... Plus Western Blotting Reagent Pack, 1. ... detection of membrane-bound mouse and rabbit primary ... PVDF membranes. Detection reagents are not included, ... with ECL Plus. Category: Blotting & ...
... FHS-LVF and CVD-Diffuse We've combined our ... to create the world's first notch filter ... bandpass. Each filter features an excellent transmission ... These filters -- with interference coatings applied ...
Biology Products: