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Do cyanobacteria swim using traveling surface waves?

K M Ehlers1, A D Samuel, H C Berg

  • 1Department of Mathematics, California State University at Monterey Bay, Seaside 93933, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|August 6, 1996
PubMed
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Bacteria can swim without flagella by creating surface waves. This study presents a new mathematical model for spherical bacteria propelled by sinusoidal waves, offering insights into microbial locomotion.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology and Biophysics
  • Mathematical Modeling of Biological Systems

Background:

  • Flagella-independent bacterial motility is hypothesized to involve surface wave propagation.
  • Previous models for microbial locomotion, particularly ciliates, used Legendre polynomials to describe surface undulations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a new mathematical solution for spherical cell locomotion driven by surface waves.
  • To analyze bacterial swimming speeds based on sinusoidal waveform propagation.
  • To review and compare with existing theoretical frameworks for microbial motility.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a new analytical solution for a sphere propagating sinusoidal waveforms.
  • Calculated expected swimming speeds based on wave parameters (length, amplitude, speed).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Reviewed and contrasted the new sinusoidal model with prior Legendre polynomial-based solutions.

    • Main Results:

    • Predicted swimming speeds of approximately 25 microns/s for a spherical cell with specific wave characteristics.
    • Demonstrated that sinusoidal waveforms provide a viable alternative to Legendre polynomials for modeling surface-driven motility.
    • The model provides a framework for understanding non-flagellar propulsion mechanisms in microorganisms.

    Conclusions:

    • Sinusoidal surface waves offer a new theoretical basis for flagella-independent bacterial swimming.
    • The developed model allows for quantitative predictions of swimming speed based on wave parameters.
    • Experimental validation of these predictions is encouraged to confirm the proposed motility mechanism.