Bacteria in Biofilms Present in Sewer Pipes, Kitchen Counters, Human Teeth Smarter Than Previously Thought

New research carried out at the University of California, San Diego, in the United States has shown a series of substantial characteristics showcased by groups of bacteria living together in communities called biofilms.

As indicated in a CVBJ.biz report, bacteria organized in communities create patterns of development found with multicellular organisms like animals and plants, a condition providing them with a complexity, which had not been observed until today. They remember and communicate too.

It is very organized in elaborate patterns, a characteristic that had only been linked to higher-level organisms before, such as animals and plants.

Biofilms are found in sewer pipes, kitchen counters, and even on the surface of human teeth. They utilize refined methods to communicate with each other and have a robust memory capacity.

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(Photo: Pexels/Edward Jenner)
Research has shown a series of substantial characteristics showcased by groups of bacteria living together, in communities called biofilms.

Complex Cell Patterns

The study, led by Gürol Süel, a biologist, was published in the Cell journal and was performed in collaboration with researchers at Stanford University and Spain-based Pompeu Fabra University.

As specified in a press release, microbial communities have achieved these properties through a specific genetic mechanism that remarkably resembles how animal and plant species develop.

Seemingly, the finding could result in a new conception of the historical occurrence of complex cell patterns. In this sense, the outcomes hint that cellular pattern during development is much older than formerly thought.

Everything specifies that the cells' ability to segment in time and space did not arise only with vertebrates and plants. However, it can be traced over billion years and discovered in much simpler organisms, as indicated in a similar Nantile Gazette report.

Various Cell Types Exhibited by Bacterial Communities

The bacterial communities organized in biofilms exhibit various cell types. Nonetheless, these disparate cells had not been thought previously to have the ability to organize into a controlled pattern.

In this new research, the researchers performed experiments and a mathematical model that showed the genetic basis for behaviors associated with a species of

In the new study, the scientists developed experiments and a mathematical model that revealed the genetic basis of "clock and wavefront" and the ordering of currently available resources.

For instance, when the bacteria's biofilm starts expanding and consuming the nutrients in the environment, a "Molecular clock," as detailed in a ScienceDirect report, freezes within each cell at a particular position and time.

From then on, a pattern that consists of repeated segments of different cell types serves as evidence of such a situation, develops an alert, something that can be observed in complex organisms like flies, plants, and even in humans.

Bacillus Subtilis Bacterium Validated

The researchers validated that the Bacillus subtilis variety, a bacterium found in the soil, forms concentric rings suggestive of the development fringes a segmentation clock in plant species creates, as occurs in trees.

Nevertheless, the breakthrough identified the associated genetic circuit, making clear the presence of temporal patterns and growth organization.

Meaning, biofilms can generate concentric rings of gene expression patterns in the whole bacterial community.

Such findings show a "Genetic Clock," which is described in a Future Timeline article, organizing cellular distinction in both time and space, seriously questioning the model specifying that such modeling tools are exclusive to plant and animal development.

Related information about the formation of biofilms is shown on Whiteley's YouTube video below:

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