Biofilm matrix

About: Biofilm matrix is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1589 publications have been published within this topic receiving 110140 citations.

Coordinated Cyclic-Di-GMP Repression of Salmonella Motility through YcgR and Cellulose

Abstract: Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a secondary messenger that controls a variety of cellular processes, including the switch between a biofilm and a planktonic bacterial lifestyle. This nucleotide binds to cellular effectors in order to exert its regulatory functions. In Salmonella, two proteins, BcsA and YcgR, both of them containing a c-di-GMP binding PilZ domain, are the only known c-di-GMP receptors. BcsA, upon c-di-GMP binding, synthesizes cellulose, the main exopolysaccharide of the biofilm matrix. YcgR is dedicated to c-di-GMP-dependent inhibition of motility through its interaction with flagellar motor proteins. However, previous evidences indicate that in the absence of YcgR, there is still an additional element that mediates motility impairment under high c-di-GMP levels. Here we have uncovered that cellulose per se is the factor that further promotes inhibition of bacterial motility once high c-di-GMP contents drive the activation of a sessile lifestyle. Inactivation of different genes of the bcsABZC operon, mutation of the conserved residues in the RxxxR motif of the BcsA PilZ domain, or degradation of the cellulose produced by BcsA rescued the motility defect of ΔycgR strains in which high c-di-GMP levels were reached through the overexpression of diguanylate cyclases. High c-di-GMP levels provoked cellulose accumulation around cells that impeded flagellar rotation, probably by means of steric hindrance, without affecting flagellum gene expression, exportation, or assembly. Our results highlight the relevance of cellulose in Salmonella lifestyle switching as an architectural element that is both essential for biofilm development and required, in collaboration with YcgR, for complete motility inhibition.

Correlative Time-Resolved Fluorescence Microscopy To Assess Antibiotic Diffusion-Reaction in Biofilms

Abstract: The failure of antibiotics to inactivate in vivo pathogens organized in biofilms has been shown to trigger chronic infections. In addition to mechanisms involving specific genetic or physiological cell properties, antibiotic sorption and/or reaction with biofilm components may lessen the antibiotic bioavailability and consequently decrease their efficiency. To assess locally and accurately the antibiotic diffusion-reaction, we used for the first time a set of advanced fluorescence microscopic tools (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, and fluorescence lifetime imaging) that offer a spatiotemporal resolution not available with the commonly used time-lapse confocal imaging method. This set of techniques was used to characterize the dynamics of fluorescently labeled vancomycin in biofilms formed by two Staphylococcus aureus human isolates. We demonstrate that, at therapeutic concentrations of vancomycin, the biofilm matrix was not an obstacle to the diffusion-reaction of the antibiotic that can reach all cells through the biostructure.

Microbial biofilms in ophthalmology and infectious disease.

Abstract: Most bacterial infections involve biofilms. Biofilms are collections of microorganisms encased in a matrix that is often composed of both bacterial and host materials. They form on natural surfaces such as heart valves or abiotic surfaces such as contact lenses or intraocular lenses. The biofilm matrix promotes adherence of the microbe to smooth surfaces as well as to other cells. Biofilms thereby form large 3-dimensional microbial communities of complex architecture through cell-to-cell communication and coordinated multicellular behavior. The biofilm architecture promotes the exchange of nutrients and waste products. The ability of microorganisms to attach to abiotic surfaces and grow in highly stable communities greatly confounds the medical use of implantable devices. Much effort is now being invested to understand the molecular nature of biofilms, with a view toward designing biofilm-resistant implantable devices and more effective antimicrobials.

Enzymatic modifications of exopolysaccharides enhance bacterial persistence

Abstract: Biofilms are surface-attached communities of bacterial cells embedded in a self-produced matrix that are found ubiquitously in nature. The biofilm matrix is composed of various extracellular polymeric substances, which confer advantages to the encapsulated bacteria by protecting them from eradication. The matrix composition varies between species and is dependent on the environmental niche that the bacteria inhabit. Exopolysaccharides play a variety of important roles in biofilm formation in numerous bacterial species. The ability of bacteria to thrive in a broad range of environmental settings is reflected in part by the structural diversity of the exopolysaccharides produced both within individual bacterial strains as well as by different species. This variability is achieved through polymerization of distinct sugar moieties into homo- or hetero-polymers, as well as post-polymerization modification of the polysaccharide. Specific enzymes that are unique to the production of each polymer can transfer or remove non-carbohydrate moieties, or in other cases, epimerize the sugar units. These modifications alter the physicochemical properties of the polymer, which in turn can affect bacterial pathogenicity, virulence, and environmental adaptability. Herein, we review the diversity of modifications that the exopolysaccharides alginate, the Pel polysaccharide (PEL), Vibrio polysaccharide (VPS), cepacian, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG) undergo during biosynthesis. These are exopolysaccharides produced by human pathogenic bacteria for which studies have begun to unravel the effect modifications have on their physicochemical and biological properties. The biological advantages these polymer modifications confer to the bacteria that produce them will be discussed. The expanding list of identified modifications will allow future efforts to focus on linking these modifications to specific biosynthetic genes and biofilm phenotypes.

An Electrostatic Net Model for the Role of Extracellular DNA in Biofilm Formation by Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract: Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen that can form biofilms on various surfaces. These cell communities are protected from the environment by a self-produced extracellular matrix composed of proteins, DNA, and polysaccharide. The exact compositions and roles of the different components are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the role of extracellular DNA (eDNA) and its interaction with the recently identified cytoplasmic proteins that have a moonlighting role in the biofilm matrix. These matrix proteins associate with the cell surface upon the drop in pH that naturally occurs during biofilm formation, and we found here that this association is independent of eDNA. Conversely, the association of eDNA with the matrix was dependent on matrix proteins. Both proteinase and DNase treatments severely reduced clumping of resuspended biofilms; highlighting the importance of both proteins and eDNA in connecting cells together. By adding an excess of exogenous DNA to DNase-treated biofilm, clumping was partially restored, confirming the crucial role of eDNA in the interconnection of cells. On the basis of our results, we propose that eDNA acts as an electrostatic net, interconnecting cells surrounded by positively charged matrix proteins at a low pH. IMPORTANCE Extracellular DNA (eDNA) is an important component of the biofilm matrix of diverse bacteria, but its role in biofilm formation is not well understood. Here we report that in Staphylococcus aureus, eDNA associates with cells in a manner that depends on matrix proteins and that eDNA is required to link cells together in the biofilm. These results confirm previous studies that showed that eDNA is an important component of the S. aureus biofilm matrix and also suggest that eDNA acts as an electrostatic net that tethers cells together via the proteinaceous layer of the biofilm matrix.