Dresden 2026 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 11: Franco-German Session: Bacterial Biophysics I

BP 11.7: Hauptvortrag

Dienstag, 10. März 2026, 11:15–11:45, BAR/0106

Physics of bacterial adhesion: heterogeneity, patchiness, and surface interactions — •Karin Jacobs — Saarland University, Experimental Physics & Center for Biophysics, Saarbrücken, Germany

Bacterial cells interact with solid interfaces through a heterogeneous cell envelope, giving rise to rich physical behavior at solid-liquid boundaries. From a physics perspective, bacteria can be regarded as soft objects whose adhesion is governed by collective interactions of many fluctuating macromolecules. In this talk, I summarize recent experimental and theoretical work on bacterial adhesion using concepts from soft matter and surface physics.

Using atomic force microscopy-based single-cell force spectroscopy, we determine interaction forces between individual microbial cells and well-defined substrata. These experiments reveal heterogeneity of adhesion across the surface of single bacteria [1,2]. In particular, Gram-positive bacteria such as S. aureus exhibit a patchy adhesion landscape, reminiscent of patchy colloids, where a small number of adhesive regions dominate surface interactions.

We further show how surface properties such as wettability and protein coatings control bacterial adhesion by modulating the accessibility of tethering macromolecules [3]. Overall, these results place bacterial adhesion in the framework of condensed matter physics and illustrate how physical principles can guide the design of bio-interactive materials, ranging from simple functional interfaces to artificial cells. [1] C. Spengler et al., Soft Matter 20 (2024) 484; [2] E. Maikranz et al., Nanoscale 12 (2020) 19267; [3] F. Nolle et al., ACS Omega 10 (2025).

Keywords: bacterial adhesion; soft matter; surface and interface physics; single-cell force spectroscopy; artificial cells