Type IV pili are ubiquitous bacterial motors that power surface motility. In peritrichously piliated species, it is unclear how multiple pili are coordinated to generate movement with directional persistence. Here we use a combined theoretical and experimental approach to test the hypothesis that multiple pili of Neisseria gonorrhoeae are coordinated through a tug-of-war. Based on force-dependent unbinding rates and pilus retraction speeds measured at the level of single pili, we build a tug-of-war model. Whereas the one-dimensional model robustly predicts persistent movement, the two-dimensional model requires a mechanism of directional memory provided by re-elongation of fully retracted pili and pilus bundling. Experimentally, we confirm memory in the form of bursts of pilus retractions. Bursts are seen even with bundling suppressed, indicating re-elongation from stable core complexes as the key mechanism of directional memory. Directional memory increases the surface range explored by motile bacteria and likely facilitates surface colonization.

Bacteria can adjust the structure of colonies and biofilms to enhance their survival rate under external stress. Here, we explore the link between bacterial interaction forces and colony structure. We show that the activity of extracellular pilus motors enhances local ordering and accelerates fusion dynamics of bacterial colonies. The radial distribution function of mature colonies shows local fluidlike order. The degree and dynamics of ordering are dependent on motor activity. At a larger scale, the fusion dynamics of two colonies shows liquidlike behavior whereby motor activity strongly affects surface tension and viscosity.

Twitching motility enables bacteria to move over surfaces using type IV pili as grappling hooks. Here it is shown that the motility of the round Neisseria gonorrhoeae as well as of rod-shaped Myxococcus xanthus is guided by elevations with dimension and depth corresponding to the size of the bacteria.

SummaryType IV pilus (T4P) dynamics is important for various bacterial functions including host cell interaction, surface motility, and horizontal gene transfer. T4P retract rapidly by depolymerization, generating large mechanical force. The gene that encodes the pilus retraction ATPase PilT has multiple paralogues, whose number varies between different bacterial species, but their role in regulating physical parameters of T4P dynamics remains unclear. Here, we address this question in the human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which possesses two pilT paralogues, namely pilT2 and pilU. We show that the speed of twitching motility is strongly reduced in a pilT2 deletion mutant, while directional persistence time and sensitivity of speed to oxygen are unaffected. Using laser tweezers, we found that the speed of single T4P retraction was reduced by a factor of ª 2 in a pilT2 deletion strain, whereas pilU deletion showed a minor effect. The maximum force and the probability for switching from retraction to elongation under application of high force were not significantly affected. We conclude that the physical parameters of T4P are fine-tuned through PilT2.