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Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Bacterial Cell Culture at the Single-cell Level Inside Giant Vesicles
Published on: April 30, 2019
Bacterial adhesion at the single-cell level
Cecile Berne1, Courtney K Ellison1, Adrien Ducret2
1Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
Abstract:
The formation of multicellular microbial communities, called biofilms, starts from the adhesion of a few planktonic cells to the surface. The transition from a free-living planktonic lifestyle to a sessile, attached state is a multifactorial process that is determined by biological, chemical and physical properties of the environment, the surface and the bacterial cell. The initial weak, reversible interactions between a bacterium and a surface strengthen to yield irreversible adhesion. In this Review, we summarize our understanding of the mechanisms governing bacterial adhesion at the single-cell level, including the physical forces experienced by a cell before reaching the surface, the first contact with a surface and the transition from reversible to permanent adhesion.
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