Megan O'Hara graduated in May after double majoring in microbiology with a dual degree in biomedical biological sciences and a minor in chemistry. In addition to receiving two awards from the ...

New light has been shed on dynamics of asymmetric type IV pili distribution and twitching motility triggered by directional light in cyanobacteria. Type IV pili (T4P) are fascinating supermolecular ...

Bacteria are able to translocate by a variety of mechanisms, independently or in combination, utilizing flagella or filopodia to swim, by amoeboid movement, or by gliding, twitching, or swarming. They ...

Biophysicists have been able to directly study the way bacteria move on surfaces, revealing a molecular machinery reminiscent of motor reflexes. Do bacteria control their "walks" like we do? It might ...

L. Talà et al., “Pseudomonas aeruginosa orchestrates twitching motility by sequential control of type IV pili movements,” Nat Microbiol, 4:774–80, 2019. Bacteria use long, threadlike attachments known ...

Type IV pili (T4P) are fascinating supermolecular machines that drive twitching motility, protein secretion, and DNA uptake in prokaryotes. T4P work as grappling hooks that cause bacterial twitching ...