Cell Systems
Volume 10, Issue 5, 20 May 2020, Pages 417-423.e3
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Encoding Membrane-Potential-Based Memory within a Microbial Community

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Highlights

  • Bacteria form membrane-potential-based memory, reminiscent of neurons

  • Bacterial memory is formed through a light-induced change to potassium channels

  • As predicted by a Hodgkin-Huxley model, memory is robust to ionic perturbations

  • Complex memory patterns can be encoded in a biofilm at the single-cell level

Summary

Cellular membrane potential plays a key role in the formation and retrieval of memories in the metazoan brain, but it remains unclear whether such memory can also be encoded in simpler organisms like bacteria. Here, we show that single-cell-level memory patterns can be imprinted in bacterial biofilms by light-induced changes in the membrane potential. We demonstrate that transient optical perturbations generate a persistent and robust potassium-channel-mediated change in the membrane potential of bacteria within the biofilm. The light-exposed cells respond in an anti-phase manner, relative to unexposed cells, to both natural and induced oscillations in extracellular ion concentrations. This anti-phase response, which persists for hours following the transient optical stimulus, enables a direct single-cell resolution visualization of spatial memory patterns within the biofilm. The ability to encode robust and persistent membrane-potential-based memory patterns could enable computations within prokaryotic communities and suggests a parallel between neurons and bacteria.

Keywords

memory
membrane potential
ion channels
anti-phase
persistent
optical
microbial communities
biofilm
robust
Hodgkin-Huxley

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7

These authors contributed equally

8

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