Micro-organisms biophysics

Microorganisms represent the dominant forms of life on Earth. They display a huge diversity of geometric shapes, behaviours and habitats. We are particularly interested in bacteria. Their size — on the order of microns — and their lifetime — on the order of hours — enable exploring from single cell level to heterogeneous, socially organized populations. We study these systems based on the development of dedicated microfabricated microfluidic devices, coupled with the most recent advances in genetics and video-microscopy and fluorescence imaging approaches. Our objective is to understand the mechanisms underpinning the behaviour of these systems under controlled environments, unveiling the causal relationships linking their physical and biological properties.


Spatio-temporal physiology Multi-species adherent communities Biofilm under flow Bacterial Mechano-biology Microfluidics of Epilithic Biofilms Physics of bacterial colony spreading

PhD students (defense 2018->)

  • 2025 Martin Maliet

  • 2023 Vui-Yin Seow

  • 2022 Wafa Ben Youssef

  • 2019 Amaury Monmeyran

  • 2018 Alexandre Deloupy

 

Post-docs (since 2018)

  • 2023- Gaspard Junot
  • 2020-2021 Jerko Rosko
  • 2015-2019 Jean Ollion

Master students (since 2018)

Master 1:

  • 2020 Valentin Bonnet
  • 2021 Assia Benachir
  • 2022 Elif Uyar 
  • 2023 Jinghan Huang
  • 2023 Adrien Bérard

 

Master 2:

  • 2018 Yvan Bourrigault
  • 2018 Wafa Benyoussef
  • 2019 Raphaël Monteil
  • 2021 Candice hermant
  • 2020 Elif Elçin
  • 2022 Nicolas Pellet
  • 2022 Martin Maliet
  • 2022 Naicen Naourra

 

 

Other related page

Cell cycle

Related job openings

2023
2024
Master 2
Bacterial biofilm compressive micro-Raman
2023
2024
Master 2
Bacterial biofilm interaction with light
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2024
Master 2
Active nematics in monolayers of motile bacteria: experiments and simulations

Publications

2024

DiSTNet2D: Leveraging Long-Range Temporal Information for Efficient Segmentation and Tracking - PRX Life (Apr. 2024)
J. Ollion , M. Maliet , C. Giuglaris , E. Vacher , M. Deforet
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.1103/PRXLife.2.023004

2023

Direct comparison of spatial transcriptional heterogeneity across diverse Bacillus subtilis biofilm communities - Nature communications (Nov. 2023)
Y. Dergham , D. Le Coq , P. Nicolas , E. Bidnenko , S. Dérozier , M. Deforet , E. Huillet , P. Sanchez-Vizuete , J. Deschamps , K. Hamze , R. Briandet
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43386-w
DistNet2D: Leveraging long-range temporal information for efficient segmentation and tracking - Arxiv (Oct. 2023)
J. Ollion , M. Maliet , C. Giuglaris , E. Vacher , M. Deforet
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2310.19641
Multisite transformation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: insights on transformations mechanisms and new genetic modification protocols - Frontiers in Microbiology (Jun. 2023)
V.Y.M. Seow , O. Tsygelnytska , N. Biais
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1178128
Emergence of Exopolysaccharides Overproducers Is Linked to Environmental Spatial Structure via Redox State - mSphere (Apr. 2023)
M. Ardré , M. Deforet
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.1128/msphere.00123-23
Long-range alteration of the physical environment mediates cooperation between Pseudomonas aeruginosa swarming colonies - Environmental Microbiology (Mar. 2023)
M. Deforet
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16373

2022

Spatial-temporal dynamics of a microbial cooperative behavior resistant to cheating - Nature communications (Jun. 2022)
H. Monaco , K.S. Liu , T. Sereno , M. Deforet , B.P. Taylor , Y. Chen , C.C. Reagor , J.B. Xavier
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28321-9

2021

An In Vitro Model System to Test Mechano-Microbiological Interactions Between Bacteria and Host Cells - Cytoskeleton : Methods and Protocols (Sep. 2021)
L.C. Santos , E.L. Munteanu , N. Biais
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1661-1_11
Cooperation between melanoma cell states promotes metastasis through heterotypic cluster formation - Developmental Cell (Aug. 2021)
N.R. Campbell , A. Rao , M.V. Hunter , M.K. Sznurkowska , L. Briker , M. Zhang , M. Baron , S. Heilmann , M. Deforet , C. Kenny , L. Ferretti , T.H. Huang , S. Perlee , M. Garg , J. Nsengimana , M. Saini , E. Montal , M. Tagore , J. Newton-Bishop , M.R. Middleton , P. Corrie , D.J. Adams , R. Rabbie , N. Aceto , M.P. Levesque , R.A. Cornell , I. Yanai , J.B. Xavier , R.M. White
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2021.08.018
Fresh Extension of Vibrio cholerae Competence Type IV Pili Predisposes Them for Motor-Independent Retraction - Applied and Environmental Microbiology (Jun. 2021)
J.L. Chlebek , T.N. Dalia , N. Biais , A.B. Dalia
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00478-21
Open science saves lives: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic - BMC MEDICAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (Jun. 2021)
L. Besancon , N. Peiffer-Smadja , C. Segalas , H. Jiang , P. Masuzzo , C. Smout , E. Billy , M. Deforet , C. Leyrat
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:10.1186/s12874-021-01304-y
Four species of bacteria deterministically assemble to form a stable biofilm in a millifluidic channel - NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes (Jan. 2021)
A. Monmeyran , W. Benyoussef , P. Thomen , N. Dahmane , A. Baliarda , M. Jules , S. Aymerich , N. Henry
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:10.1038/s41522-021-00233-4

2020

2019

Evolution at the edge of expanding populations - The American Naturalist (Sep. 2019)
M. Deforet , C. Carmona-Fontaine , K.S. Korolev , J.B. Xavier
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:

2018

Environmentally Mediated Social Dilemmas - Trends in Ecology and Evolution (Nov. 2018)
S. Estrela , E. Libby , J. Van Cleve , F. Débarre , M. Deforet , W. R. Harcombe , J. Peña , S. P. Brown , M. E. Hochberg
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2018.10.004
The inducible chemical-genetic fluorescent marker FAST outperforms classical fluorescent proteins in the quantitative reporting of bacterial biofilm dynamics - Scientific Reports (Oct. 2018)
A. Monmeyran , P. Thomen , H. Jonquiere , F. Sureau , C. Li , M.A. Plamont , C. Douarche , J.F. Casella , A. Gautier , N. Henry
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:10.1038/s41598-018-28643-z
Intermittent Pili-Mediated Forces Fluidize Neisseria meningitidis Aggregates Promoting Vascular Colonization - Cell (Jun. 2018)
D. Bonazzi , V. Lo Schiavo , S. Machata , I. Djafer-Cherif , P. Nivoit , V. Manriquez , H. Tanimoto , J. Husson , N. Henry , H. Chate , R. Voituriez , G. Dumenil
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:10.1016/j.cell.2018.04.010
Archaeal cells share common size control with bacteria despite noisier growth and division - Nature Microbiology (Feb. 2018)
Y.J. Eun , P.Y. Ho , M. Kim , S. LaRussa , L. Robert , L. Renner , A. Schmid , E. Garner , A. Amir
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:10.1038/s41564-017-0082-6
Method for Detecting and Studying Genome-Wide Mutations in Single Living Cells in Real Time - Methods Mol Biol (Jan. 2018)
M. Elez , L. Robert , I. Matic
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7638-6_3

2017

2016

Single-cell analysis of growth in budding yeast and bacteria reveals a common size regulation strategy - Current Biology (Feb. 2016)
I. Soifer , L. Robert , A. Amir
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.067

2015

Single-Cell Analysis of Growth and Cell Division of the Anaerobe Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough - Frontiers in Microbiology (Dec. 2015)
A. Fievet , A. Ducret , T. Mignot , O. Valette , L. Robert , R. Pardoux , A. Dolla , C. Aubert
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:10.3389/fmicb.2015.01378
Size sensors in bacteria, cell cycle control, and size control - Frontiers in Microbiology (May. 2015)
L. Robert
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:10.3389/fmicb.2015.00515
Statistical estimation of a growth-fragmentation model observed on a genealogical tree - Bernoulli (Jan. 2015)
M. Doumic , M. Hoffmann , N. Krell , L. Robert
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:10.3150/14-BEJ623

2014

Division in Escherichia coli is triggered by a size-sensing rather than a timing mechanism - BMC Biology (Feb. 2014)
L. Robert , M. Hoffmann , N. Krell , S. Aymerich , M. Doumic
  URL Full text PDF Bibtex doi:10.1186/1741-7007-12-17