Growing E-coli in the presence of electric fields

TL;DR

This study investigates how electric fields influence E-coli growth, revealing that bacteria tend to grow near lower potential regions and avoid higher potential areas, supporting theories of electrostatic forces affecting cell division.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence on the effect of electric fields on bacterial growth patterns, linking electrostatic forces to cell division behavior.

Findings

E-coli grows near lower electric potential regions

Growth is inhibited near higher potential areas

Results support electrostatic models of cell division

Abstract

Experiments were performed to test the effect of an electric field on growing E-coli cultures. Cell growing dishes were fitted with platinum wires to create a potential drop across the dish. Water diluted E-coli cultures were brushed across the dish in various patterns and the growth of E-coli colonies was recorded. Repeated experiments on this model were performed. It was found that E-coli grew preferentially in the vicinity of the lower electric potential, a region characterized by the presence of positive ions while there was a clear non-growth area near the higher potential, a region characterized by the presence of negative ions. These results support previous theoretical analysis of the general problem of cell division which accounts for the symmetry of this system, and in which electrostatic repulsion is the primary long range driving force of the dividing biological cell.