Optogenetic Control of Bacterial Cell-Cell Adhesion Dynamics: Unraveling the Influence on Biofilm Architecture and Functionality

The transition of bacteria from an individualistic to a biofilm lifestyle profoundly alters their biology. During biofilm development, the bacterial cell-cell adhesions are a major determinant of initial microcolonies, which serve as kernels for the subsequent microscopic and mesoscopic structure of the biofilm, and determine the resulting...