Seminar Series
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Abstract: Many decades of molecular biology studies have been shaping our basic understand of biological systems. However, little is known about the ion dynamics in bacteria despite their importance in many physiological processes. In my talk, I will present our recent discovery of bacterial electrical signalling, which we first observed with B. subtilis biofilms. The bacterial electrical signalling is mediated by the changes in membrane potentials, and plays a role in coordinating metabolic states of cells within a biofilm. Furthermore, I will present our on-going work concerning the membrane potential dynamics during a bacterial cellular differentiation process, namely spore formation. Our results suggested that the cation dynamics during sporulation provides an integrative monitoring system for quality control of developing spores.