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URL;TYPE=URI:https://www.wpi.edu/news/calendar/events/mathematical-sciences
 -department-applied-math-seminar-joseph-larkin-boston-university
SUMMARY:Mathematical Sciences Department Applied Math Seminar - Joseph Lark
 in\, Boston University
DESCRIPTION:Applied Math Seminar\nJoseph Larkin\, Boston University\nThursd
 ay\, September 24\n1 - 2 pm\nStratton Hall 313\nTitle: Bacterial biofilms 
 are spore Jell-O\nAbstract: Bacterial biofilms are communities of polymer-
 encased cells that thrive in nearly every earthly environment. Within thes
 e communities\, cells differentiate into heterogeneous states of gene expr
 ession\, much like in multicellular organisms. It is an open question how 
 the conditions within biofilms\, such as nutrient levels and cell density\
 , control the phenotypic states of cells and\, in turn\, how these diverse
  cells determine biofilm-level properties like 3D morphology. We ask this 
 question in biofilms composed of Bacillus subtilis. Specifically\, we inve
 stigate the formation of dormant spores. We find that in biofilms\, sporul
 ation starts early and sporulation progresses outward through the colony a
 s a traveling wave. Using time-lapse imaging and an active fluid model of 
 biofilm growth and spore formation\, we show that the distribution of spor
 es within the colony is controlled by the colony’s physical expansion ra
 te. Despite being mostly dormant spores\, colonies create large 3D wrinkle
 s. With biophysical experiments and a simple model\, we show that this mor
 phology emerges through soft matter physics: before sporulation\, cells se
 crete extracellular matrix polymers that turn biofilms into gels. The comp
 eting effects of osmotic swelling and polymer cross-linking create strain 
 that is relieved through wrinkling. Our results demonstrate the fundamenta
 l interplay of cell-level gene regulation and colony-scale physics in cont
 rolling the composition of cellular communities.
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