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Updated: May 6, 2026

Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series
Published on: May 10, 2020
From swimming to swarming: Escherichia coli cell motility in two-dimensions
Jean-Marie Swiecicki1, Olesksii Sliusarenko, Douglas B Weibel
1Department of Chemistry, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, 75005, France.
Abstract:
Escherichia coli swarmer cells coordinate their movement when confined in thin layers of fluid on agar surfaces. The motion and dynamics of cells, pairs of cells, and packs of cells can be recapitulated and studied in polymer microfluidic systems that are designed to constrain swarmer cell movement in thin layers of fluid between no-slip surfaces. The motion of elongated, smooth swimming E. coli cells in these environments reproduces the behavior of packs of cells observed at the leading edge of swarming communities and demonstrates the delicate balance between the physical dimensions of fluids and bacterial cell behavior.
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