Biologists Turn Bacteria Into ‘Swarmbots’

We ’re covered in bacteria every mean solar day . They assist us digest our food for thought and protect our skin , and they ’re potentially a swell aesculapian tool — but only if we can control them . scientist think they ’ve taken the first measure by engineering bacterium that can live on in a swarm , but die when they seek to escape individually to new areas .

The right bacterium can help treat infection , out - stock bad bacteria , and facilitate regulate function like digestion . Scientists at Duke University have taken vantage of the fact that bacteria can vary their behavior when they ’re in large enough concentrations , and have engineered bacteria that trust on thick population ( often in enclosed space ) to outlive . Their findingsare published inthe latest issue of Molecular Systems Biology .

To make these bacterium — dubbed “ swarmbots ” because they can only survive in a swarm — the researcher started with a harmless strain of E. coli bacteria . These bacterium were organize to get a signaling molecule forebode N - Acyl homoserine lactone , or AHL .

The phenomenon is known as “ quorum sensing . ” bacterium produce AHL when they come together in large enough tightness . In response to the molecule , some bacteria shorten their tentacle - like appendages and qualify their bowel movement , so they all stick together as a slime - similar biofilm . Other bacteria , like the luminescent Vibrio fischeri , only produce luminousness when they ’re in group , and apply AHL as a signaling to know when they have a so - called “ quorum . ”

The swarmbots respond to AHL by produce a protein that is resistant to antibiotics . They halt producing it when they are alone . During the experiment , scientists bathe bacteria in a pool of antibiotics . Regular bacteria , constantly producing the protein , broke out of their small ejector seat and spread . Swarmbots , however , stayed together . If any one bacterium break out , it would stop being able to make its “ antidote ” to antibiotics and die off .

scientist hope that these bacterium might be useful for all kinds of medical applications . The bacterium could make other proteins or even drug , in response to the living body around them . When a system of rules weakens enough to allow them to reach a population density , they might make chemical substance that mold the system and bring their own numbers down again .

William Duplessie