Project Details
Projekt
Development and emerging properties of spore-forming macrocolonies
Applicants
Dr. Ilka Bischofs-Pfeifer; Professor Dr. Karl Rohr
Subject Area
Metabolism, Biochemistry and Genetics of Microorganisms
Term
since 2022
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 504020040
The Gram-positive endospore-forming Bacillus subtilis is a genetically tractable model for studying bacterial multicellularity with important implications for industry, green agriculture and human health. We have recently developed an interdisciplinary methodology to quantitatively study the spatio-temporal development and the emergence of three-dimensional structures in macrocolonies emerging from an individual founder spore and characterize the germination properties of the resulting spores under well-defined conditions using microscopy and novel computational image analysis methods based on deep learning. In this project, we will further extend and apply the methodology to investigate how cell differentiation contributes to dynamic pattern formation and characterize the outgrowth properties and developmental capacity of the resulting spores. We will also study how macrocolony organization and spore production respond to changes in environmental conditions.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
