Mechanics control the proliferation of diatoms entrapped in hydrogels
Rani Boons, Dominic Gerber, Robert W. Style, Anouk Droux, Tanja Zimmermann, Gustav Nyström, Gilberto Siqueira, André R. Studart
TL;DR
This study shows how the mechanical properties of hydrogels affect the growth of diatoms, which is important for creating living materials in biotechnology.
Contribution
The study reveals that residual stress in hydrogels regulates microorganism growth, offering new design guidelines for living materials.
Findings
Residual stresses in agar hydrogels influence diatom proliferation.
The interplay between cell pressure and hydrogel mechanics controls growth dynamics.
Stress relaxation impacts the viability and division of entrapped diatoms.
Abstract
The proliferation of microorganisms in hydrogels is crucial for the design of engineered living materials and biotechnological processes, and may provide insights into cellular growth in aquatic environments. While the mechanical properties of the gel have been shown to affect the division of entrapped cells, research is still needed to understand the impact and the origin of mechanical forces controlling the growth of microorganisms inside hydrogels. Using diatoms as model microorganisms, we investigate the viability, time to division and growth dynamics of cells entrapped in agar hydrogels with tuneable mechanical properties. Cell culture experiments, confocal optical microscopy and particle tracking velocimetry are performed to uncover the role of stress relaxation and residual stresses in the gel and how these affect diatom proliferation. Our experiments reveal that the interplay…
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Taxonomy
TopicsDiatoms and Algae Research · Algal biology and biofuel production · Minerals Flotation and Separation Techniques