Tanmay Bharat

Structural cell biology of bacterial biofilm formation

Rather than living as single, isolated cells in liquid cultures, most bacteria on this planet form macroscopic, surface-attached, multi-cellular communities known as biofilms. Bacterial biofilms play a role in many diseases and medical conditions including cystic fibrosis, bone, wound and urinary tract infections. Bacterial cells in a biofilm community show increased tolerance to antibiotics, making medical treatment difficult. Understanding this fundamental bacterial developmental process is therefore critical to understand the colonization process of pathogenic bacteria.

The goal of our group is to apply structural and cell biology techniques to study general principles governing bacterial biofilm formation. We use electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) and tomography (cryo-ET) to resolve structures of molecules that mediate biofilm formation. Correlated light and electron microscopy (CLEM) and mass spectrometry (MS) are used to support our investigations. We combine in vitro reconstitution of key molecules with in vivo imaging to understand how bacteria form biofilms.

Scientists interested in our work are welcome to contact Tanmay Bharat (tanmay.bharat@path.ox.ac.uk) for more details. We have positions available at all levels.

For a full publication list click here

Relevant Publications

Tarafder, A.K., et al., von Kügelgen, A., Mellul, A., Schulze, U., Aarts, D., Bharat, T.A.M

2020

Phage liquid crystalline droplets form occlusive sheaths that encapsulate and protect infectious rod-shaped bacteria.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (in press)

von Kügelgen, A., Tang., H., Hardy, G.G., Kureisaite-Ciziene, D., Brun, Y.V., Stansfeld, P.J., Robinson, C.V., and Bharat, T.A.M.

2020

In Situ Structure of an Intact Lipopolysaccharide-Bound Bacterial Surface Layer

Cell, 180(2): 348-358

Bharat, T.A.M., Ciziene, D.K., Hardy, G.G., Yu, E.W., Devant, J.M., Hagen, W.J., Brun, Y.V., Briggs, J.A., and Löwe, J

2017

Structure of the hexagonal surface layer on Caulobacter crescentus cells

Nature Microbiology, 2 17059

Bharat, T. A., Murshudov, G. N., Sachse, C., and Löwe, J.

2015

Structures of actin-like ParM filaments show architecture of plasmid-segregating spindles.

Nature 523, 106-110

Bharat, T. A., Davey, N. E., Ulbrich, P., Riches, J. D., de Marco, A., Rumlova, M., Sachse, C., Ruml, T., and Briggs, J. A.

2012

Structure of the immature retroviral capsid at 8 Å resolution by cryo-electron microscopy.

Nature 487, 385-389

Group website

Research Areas

Cell Biology Infection and Immunity