Speaker
Description
Flagellated bacteria navigate complex environments by modulating flagellar rotation. The properties of the flagella, together with the cell body shape, govern the dynamics of bacterial motion and resulting swimming strategies. While the motility of many flagellated bacteria is well understood, comparatively little is known about bipolar flagellated species. In this talk, we present a mathematical model for the motility of Campylobacter jejuni, which drives a flagellum at each pole to move through the viscous mucosa of its host’s gastrointestinal tract [1]. We investigate how the interplay between the helical body shape and spatially non-uniform rigidities of the flagella gives rise to distinct swimming modes. In particular, we highlight the wrapping mode, in which the leading flagellum wraps around the cell body.
[1] E. J. Cohen, et al. Campylobacter jejuni motility integrates specialized cell shape, flagellar filament, and motor, to coordinate action of its opposed flagella. PLoS pathogens, 16.7 (2020): e1008620.
