We anticipate that the FAP-fluorogen labeling approaches described here will enable research in diverse areas of microbiology. O2 independence combined with far-red spectral properties! Could be used to tag proteins, to label multiple organisms, or to monitor gene expression. #microsky #biofilm

Using this approach, we characterize biofilm dispersal in V. cholerae. We find that dispersal initiates at biofilm periphery and ~25% of cells never disperse. We define novel micro-scale patterns during dispersal, including biofilm compression and regional heterogeneity in cell motions (see movie).

Excited to share our latest, "Biofilm dispersal patterns revealed using far-red fluorogenic probes." @plos.bsky.social We developed a cell-labeling strategy using far-red dyes to image dense microbial communities (where fluorescent proteins often do not work well) journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...