Cyanobacteria gliding in three dimensions

Many microorganisms thrive in complex environments such as mucus or their self-secreted mucilage. Their motility is well-adapted to their natural habitats; some bacteria swim faster in viscous media than in water for instance, while others exhibit gliding motility in contact with solid surfaces. While gliding has been characterized on two-dimensional substrates, its behavior in three-dimensional environments remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the 3D gliding motility of filamentous cyanobacteria embedded in soft gels and examine how morphology and substrate properties influence their motion.