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Updated: Sep 1, 2025

Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series
Published on: May 10, 2020
Encapsulated bacteria deform lipid vesicles into flagellated swimmers
Lucas Le Nagard1, Aidan T Brown1, Angela Dawson1
1School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
We study a synthetic system of motile Escherichia coli bacteria encapsulated inside giant lipid vesicles. Forces exerted by the bacteria on the inner side of the membrane are sufficient to extrude membrane tubes filled with one or several bacteria. We show that a physical coupling between the membrane tube and the flagella of the enclosed cells transforms the tube into an effective helical flagellum propelling the vesicle. We develop a simple theoretical model to estimate the propulsive force from the speed of the vesicles and demonstrate the good efficiency of this coupling mechanism. Together, these results point to design principles for conferring motility to synthetic cells.
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