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Concurrent Session

Session: Concurrent Session: Spatial & temporal resolution of the interaction interface

A Microfluidic Platform reveals the Modulation of Bacillus subtilis Cell Type Differentiation during Root Colonization by Spatial Activation of Immunity

Thursday, July 17, 2025
16:15 - 16:25  
Location: Room P+Q

    Presenting Author(s)

  • CK

    Christian-Frederic Kaiser

    Institute for Cell and Interaction Biology, Heinrich Heine University of Duesseldorf
    Duesseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    • Author(s)

  • SE

    Sabrina Egli

    Institute for Cell and Interaction Biology, Heinrich Heine University of Duesseldorf
    Duesseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

  • MK

    Mirco Keilhammer

    Institute for Cell and Interaction Biology, Heinrich Heine University of Duesseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich
    Duesseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

  • CE

    Carolina Elizondo

    Complex Adaptive Traits (CATs) in beneficial Bacilli, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg/Heidelberg
    Heidelberg, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

  • MZ

    Milan Zupunski

    Dr.
    Institute for Cell and Interaction Biology, Heinrich Heine University of Duesseldorf
    Duesseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

  • IB

    Ilka Bischofs

    Dr.
    Complex Adaptive Traits (CATs) in beneficial Bacilli, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg/Heidelberg
    Marburg, Hessen, Germany

  • GG

    Guido Grossmann

    Prof. Dr.
    Heinrich-Heine-Universitaet Duesseldorf- ICIB
    Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Abstract Text:

Bacillus subtilis and related strains are widely known as common members of root-associated microbiota. They include potent plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria that impact a range of mono- and dicot crops, as well as the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. B. subtilis displays an intriguing acclimative strategy in forming functionally and phenotypically distinct cell types, including flagellated motile cells and biofilm-matrix-producing cell chains.  A process tightly regulated by environmental factors like pH, nutrient availability, or reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are heterogeneously distributed along the root’s axis. Whether and how these plant-derived microenvironments feedback into the cell type differentiation of colonization is unknown. We utilize fluorescent cell type reporters and genetic manipulation to investigate the regulation of cell type differentiation in B. subtilis. We deploy custom-designed RootChip-based microfluidic platforms for in situ capture of cell type patterns at high spatiotemporal resolution along the root axis. This approach has enabled the mapping of plant immunity responses and environmental factors like ROS, alongside cell-resolved tracking of bacterial motility and differentiation events. We investigated how localized immunity, like ROS production, modulates the motile-to-matrix producer transition of root-colonizing Bacilli, suggesting an additional role as an interspecies cue.