title: Bacterial transport of colloids in liquid crystalline environments.
abstract: We describe the controlled transport and delivery of non-motile eukaryotic cells and polymer microparticles by swimming bacteria suspended in nematic liquid crystals. The bacteria push reversibly attached cargo in a stable, unidirectional path (or along a complex patterned director field) over exceptionally long distances. Numerical simulations and analytical predictions for swimming speeds provide a mechanistic insight into the hydrodynamics of the system. This study lays the foundation for using cargo-carrying bacteria in engineering applications and for understanding interspecies interactions in polymicrobial communities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 440 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706, USA. weibel@biochem.wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Rishi R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Trivedi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 440 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706, USA. weibel@biochem.wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Rina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 480 Lincoln Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA. spagnolie@math.wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Saverio E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Spagnolie
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 440 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706, USA. weibel@biochem.wisc.edu and Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Douglas B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Weibel
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D050866:Liquid Crystals; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009038:Motion; D009068:Movement; D011513:Proteus mirabilis / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids