Shear flow modulates oxidative and nutrient stress in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Padron, Gilberto C.
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129557
Description
Title
Shear flow modulates oxidative and nutrient stress in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Author(s)
Padron, Gilberto C.
Issue Date
2025-04-22
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Sanfilippo, Joseph E
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Sanfilippo, Joseph E
Committee Member(s)
van der Donk, Wilfred
Imlay, James A
Wu, Nicholas C
Department of Study
Biochemistry
Discipline
Biochemistry
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
microfluidics
microbiology
biophysics
Abstract
Batch cell culture is one of the primary methods used to study bacterial stress responses in traditional laboratory experiments. Batch culture is limited, however, in its ability to consider dynamic features commonly found in natural systems such as shear flow. By using microfluidics and single cell microscopy, I can subject Pseudomonas aeruginosa to flow and chemical stress simultaneously. In batch culture, bacteria are capable of rapidly depleting certain stressors and nutrients. In microfluidic conditions, I demonstrate that cells are unable to deplete stressors or nutrients faster than they can be replenished. Here, I demonstrate that under flow, cells are sensitized to concentrations of the chemical stressor H2O2 100 to 1,000 times lower than in batch culture. I further observed that in nutrient limited conditions, flow can sustain growth at concentrations of glucose 1,000 times lower than in batch. Thus, based on my findings I suggest a shift in the thinking of concentrations required to elicit or alleviate chemical stress. More broadly, I emphasize the need for considering flow to better understand how bacterial pathogens may function in their natural environments.
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