Living microtransporter by uni-directional gliding of Mycoplasma along microtracks

The gliding bacterium Mycoplasma mobile adheres to plastic surfaces and moves around vigorously. However, it has not been possible to control the direction of movements on plain surfaces. Here we report that, on patterned lithographic substrates, M. mobile cells are unable to climb tall walls and move along the bottom edge of the walls. This property to move persistently along walls enabled us to design patterns that control direction of movements, resulting in uni-directional circling or one-way gating between two areas. Furthermore, cells loaded with streptavidin beads following biotinylation of surface proteins moved at normal speeds. These bacteria could be useful as living microtransporters, carrying cargo around within micrometer-scale spaces.