Resolving spatiotemporal dynamics in bacterial multicellular populations: approaches and challenges

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Microbiology
• Cell biology

Background:

• Multicellularity is a fundamental evolutionary transition, originating in prokaryotes, not just eukaryotes.
• Bacterial colonies exhibit emergent functions through coordinated cell aggregation and differentiation.
• Understanding population dynamics requires high-resolution analysis of individual cells within macroscopic structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review advanced single-cell technologies for studying bacterial multicellularity.
• To highlight the importance of resolving individual cell contributions to collective action.
• To explore the synergistic potential of new technologies in analyzing bacterial biofilms.

Main Methods:

• Novel microscopic techniques
• Mass spectrometry imaging
• Flow cytometry
• Spatial transcriptomics
• Single-bacteria RNA sequencing
• Spatiotemporal transcriptomics integrated with microscopy
• Advanced microfluidic cultivation systems

Main Results:

• Single-cell techniques offer unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution for bacterial studies.
• These technologies enable the examination of individual cell functions within complex bacterial populations.
• Integration of multiple techniques provides a comprehensive view of cellular contributions to colony behavior.

Conclusions:

• Resolving bacterial population structures at the single-cell level is key to understanding collective functions.
• Advanced technologies are crucial for elucidating the mechanisms of bacterial multicellularity and biofilm formation.
• Further exploration of synergistic technological approaches will advance the study of differentiated bacterial colonies.