Programming Surface Motility and Modulating Physiological Behaviors of Bacteria via Biosurfactant-Mimetic Polyurethanes

Modulating microbial motility and physiology can enhance the production of bacterial macromolecules and small molecules. Herein, a platform of water-soluble and amphiphilic peptidomimetic polyurethanes is reported as a means of regulating bacterial surface behavior and the concomitant production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). It is demonstrated that carboxyl (-COOH)-containing polyurethanes exhibited 17-fold and 80-fold enhancements in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> (<i>P. aeruginosa</i>) swarming and twitching areas, respectively. Conversely, an amine (-NH₂)-functionalized polyurethane reduces the <i>P. aeruginosa</i> swarming area by 58%. Similar influences on the surface motility of <i>Escherichia coli</i> (<i>E. coli</i>) and a nonswarming <i>P. aeruginosa</i> mutant strain are also observed. Notably, -COOH polyurethanes completely wet the agar hydrogel surface and promote bacterial surface proliferation, resulting in enhanced EPS and rhamnolipid production. The programming of bacterial spatial migration into designed patterns is achieved by leveraging the opposing influences of -NH₂ and -COOH polyurethanes. The results highlight the potential of this synthetic polyurethane platform and potentially other polymer systems as an exciting approach to control bacterial surface behaviors and influence the production of engineered living materials.