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Journal Name
Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry
COMMUNICATION
presented method can be employed for creating bacterial patterns of
mixed populations.
This research received funding from the Dutch Ministry of
To examine the interaction between the two different bacterial (BLF).
strains, a change in colony morphology was studied using phase-
DOI: 10.1039/C4OB02483D
contrast microscopy. In the regions where E.coli was grown Notes and references
individually, a confluent layer of bacteria could be observed, and
single colonies were not distinguishable (Fig. 5C). The parts of the
plate where M.luteus was grown as a single strain contained large
colonies (Fig. 5D). Interestingly, the regions where E.coli and M.luteus
were grown together, consisted of a large confluent layer, just as in
the E.coli region, but now it was interrupted with small colonies of
M.luteus (Fig. 4E). The M.luteus colonies were substantially smaller as
compared to the zones were this bacterial strain was grown by itself.
This can be attributed to the interaction between the two bacterial
strains: when two bacteria are cultured together at a high density
they will have to compete for nutritional resources and habitable
space.29,30
aCentre for Systems Chemistry, Stratingh Institute for Chemistry,
University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The
Netherlands. Email: b.l.feringa@rug.nl
bMolecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and
Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747
AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
cDepartment of Radiology, University of Groningen, University Medical
Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Electronic Supplementary Information (ESI) available: See
DOI: 10.1039/c000000x/
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Fig. 5
Bacterial patterning. A) E.coli is grown in square-shaped patterns by
exposing a mask-covered agar-plate, containing 22 μM of compound 1, to UV-
light for 20 sec. B) Square-shaped patterns of M.luteus and patterns of mixed
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M.luteus colonies. E) Close-up of mixed colonies of E.coli and M.luteus.
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previous reported system where multiple photo-activatable
antibiotics were needed to obtain the same result.22 In the next step,
more sophisticated technology, such as genome sequencing or
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bacterial interplay. We foresee that photocaging of antibiotics with
activity against other bacteria, would allow for patterning of a range
of microbes by simply altering the light-exposure time.
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