How Bacteria “Feel” Their Way to Colonization: Texas A&M Research Sheds Light on Microbial Mechanosensing.

Scientists at Texas A&M University are delving into how bacteria sense and respond to their surroundings, particularly how they detect surfaces—a process critical to forming bacterial communities known as biofilms. Dr. Pushkar Lele, a professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, is at the forefront of this research, focusing on a phenomenon known as mechanosensing.

Mechanosensing allows bacteria to perceive physical cues from their environment and convert them into biochemical signals that can trigger surface colonization. This process is key in the development of biofilms, which play roles in both health and industrial contamination.

“Bacteria continuously monitor mechanical signals in their environment to identify favorable conditions for establishing multicellular colonies,” explains Dr. Lele. “Our goal is to understand how the sensor proteins—mechanosensors—actually work.”

The team likens this complex biological response to pressing a hidden key on a grand piano that sets off an entire symphony. To study these minuscule processes, Lele’s lab employs highly specialized tools capable of operating at microscopic scales. Bacterial cells are already about 100 times smaller than a human hair, and the mechanosensors they study are yet another 100 times smaller.

Central to their investigation is a particular sensor located in bacterial flagella—the whip-like appendages that help bacteria swim. These flagella house stator complexes that serve a dual purpose: powering bacterial movement and detecting mechanical resistance. The research aims to decode how these stators, composed of MotA and MotB proteins, contribute to sensing and responding to surface contact.

Once bacteria detect a surface, mechanosensing initiates internal signaling pathways that affect not only biofilm development but also other processes such as genetic transformation and disease mechanisms. While the exact signaling pathways are still being explored, their broader effects are clear.

This research holds substantial implications. In human health, understanding how bacteria adhere to tissues may improve gut health treatments. Industrially, tackling how microbial colonies form on equipment can help reduce costly biofouling—estimated to cause billions of dollars in damage annually.

“We're not necessarily aiming to develop new probiotics or anti-fouling agents,” Lele notes. “But by unraveling the principles of mechanosensing, we’re building a foundation for future innovations in both healthcare and industry.”

Source:https://phys.org/news/2025-04-microbes.html

This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.