Structural studies of bacterial biofilm matrix fibres

Most bacteria on earth exist in multi-cellular assemblies called biofilms, in which cells are embedded in a self-secreted polymeric matrix. Little is known at the molecular level about the biofilm matrix, and how cells are tethered within the biofilm matrix remains enigmatic. The aim of this project is to unravel the structural basis of fibre-mediated adhesion in the gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis and the gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Therefore, I use electron cryomicroscopy of in vitro reconstituted and isolated systems, combined with electron tomography of cells and biofilms, to study the roles of matrix fibres in biofilm function. I furthermore develop techniques to enhance the information obtained through tomographic reconstruction and apply them to study bacterial systems, both revealing fundamental aspects of bacterial biology as well as developing imaging methods that are widely applicable to other systems.