title: Escherichia coli as a model active colloid: A practical introduction.
abstract: The flagellated bacterium Escherichia coli is increasingly used experimentally as a self-propelled swimmer. To obtain meaningful, quantitative results that are comparable between different laboratories, reproducible protocols are needed to control, 'tune' and monitor the swimming behaviour of these motile cells. We critically review the knowledge needed to do so, explain methods for characterising the colloidal and motile properties of E. coli cells, and propose a protocol for keeping them swimming at constant speed at finite bulk concentrations. In the process of establishing this protocol, we use motility as a high-throughput probe of aspects of cellular physiology via the coupling between swimming speed and the proton motive force.
authors: SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK.
authors: Jana
authors: J
authors: Schwarz-Linek
authors: SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK.
authors: Jochen
authors: J
authors: Arlt
authors: SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK.
authors: Alys
authors: A
authors: Jepson
authors: SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK.
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Dawson
authors: SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK.
authors: Teun
authors: T
authors: Vissers
authors: SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK; School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, The University of Edinburgh, Darwin Building, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK.
authors: Dario
authors: D
authors: Miroli
authors: School of Biological Sciences and Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, The University of Edinburgh, Darwin Building, Max Born Crescent, Edinburgh EH9 3BF, UK.
authors: Teuta
authors: T
authors: Pilizota
authors: SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK. Electronic address: vincent.martinez@ed.ac.uk.
authors: Vincent A
authors: VA
authors: Martinez
authors: SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK. Electronic address: w.poon@ed.ac.uk.
authors: Wilson C K
authors: WC
authors: Poon
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids
keywords: Active colloids; Bioenergetics; Differential dynamic microscopy; Escherichia coli; Metabolism; Motility; Proton motive force