Bacteria sense collisions with neighbors to self-regulate collective movement, Nature Microbiology
NikoMcCarty · x · 2026-10-10
Niko McCarty breaks down a Nature Microbiology paper: Pseudomonas aeruginosa senses collisions with neighboring cells and uses that information to keep distance. Collisions are detected via type IV pili; the disruption signal passes through PilJ, and intracellular PilH then triggers pili to extrude from the opposite end, grip the surface, and retract away from the neighbor. Knocking out PilH left cells trapped in swirling vortices, circling without exploring new territory, while reversing cells escaped the group—letting the colony spread more effectively when foraging or navigating mazes.
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