biofilms
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySystematic Analysis of c-di-GMP Signaling Mechanisms and Biological Functions in Dickeya zeae EC1Dickeya zeae is the etiological agent of bacterial foot rot disease, which can cause massive economic losses in banana and rice plantations. Genome sequence analysis showed that D. zeae strain EC1 contains multiple c-di-GMP turnover genes, but their roles and regulatory mechanisms in bacterial physiology and virulence remain vague. By generating consecutive...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Giant Extracellular Matrix Binding Protein of Staphylococcus epidermidis Binds Surface-Immobilized Fibronectin via a Novel MechanismStaphylococcus epidermidis is a leading pathogen in implant-associated hospital infections. The pathogenesis critically depends on bacterial binding to ECM components, specifically fibronectin (Fn). The cell surface-localized, 1-MDa extracellular matrix binding protein (Embp) is essentially characterized by 10 F- and 40 FG-repeats. These repetitive units, each...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyMultiplex CRISPRi System Enables the Study of Stage-Specific Biofilm Genetic Requirements in Enterococcus faecalisEnterococcus faecalis causes multidrug-resistant life-threatening infections and is often coisolated with other pathogenic bacteria from polymicrobial biofilm-associated infections. Genetic tools to dissect complex interactions in mixed microbial communities are largely limited to transposon mutagenesis and traditional time- and labor-intensive allelic-exchange...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCsrA-Mediated Translational Activation of ymdA Expression in Escherichia coliThe Csr system of E. coli controls gene expression and physiology on a global scale. CsrA protein, the central component of this system, represses translation initiation of numerous genes by binding to target transcripts, thereby competing with ribosome binding. Variations of this mechanism are so common that CsrA is sometimes called a translational repressor....
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Arginine Deiminase Pathway Impacts Antibiotic Tolerance during Biofilm-Mediated Streptococcus pyogenes InfectionsBiofilm-mediated bacterial infections are a major threat to human health because of their recalcitrance to antibiotic treatment. Through the study of Streptococcus pyogenes, a significant human pathogen that is known to form antibiotic-tolerant biofilms, we demonstrated the role that a bacterial pathway known for responding to acid stress plays in biofilm growth and...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Nitrite Transporter Facilitates Biofilm Formation via Suppression of Nitrite Reductase and Is a New Antibiofilm Target in Pseudomonas aeruginosaBacterial biofilms play roles in infections and avoidance of host defense mechanisms of medically important pathogens and increase the antibiotic resistance of the bacteria. Nitric oxide (NO) is reported to be involved in both biofilm formation and dispersal, which are conflicting processes. The mechanism by which NO regulates biofilm dispersal is relatively understood, but there are no reports about how NO is involved in biofilm...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStochastic Expression of Sae-Dependent Virulence Genes during Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Development Is Dependent on SaeSStaphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen capable of colonizing diverse tissue types and inducing severe disease in both immunocompromised and otherwise healthy individuals. Biofilm infections caused by this bacterial species are of particular concern because of their persistence, even in the face of intensive therapeutic intervention. The results of the...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceComputational and Experimental Investigation of Biofilm Disruption Dynamics Induced by High-Velocity Gas Jet ImpingementKnowledge of mechanisms promoting disruption though mechanical forces is essential in optimizing biofilm control strategies which rely on fluid shear. Our results provide insight into how biofilm disruption dynamics is governed by applied forces and fluid properties, revealing a mechanism for ripple formation and fluid-biofilm mixing. These findings have important implications for the rational design of new biofilm cleaning strategies...
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyQuantitative Visualization of Gene Expression in Mucoid and Nonmucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa Aggregates Reveals Localized Peak Expression of Alginate in the Hypoxic ZoneA goal for microbial ecophysiological research is to reveal microbial activities in natural environments, including sediments, soils, or infected human tissues. Here, we report the application of the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) v3.0 to quantitatively measure microbial gene expression in situ at single-cell resolution in bacterial aggregates. Using quantitative image analysis of thousands of...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA Conserved Regulatory Circuit Controls Large Adhesins in Vibrio choleraeVibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the diarrheal disease cholera, benefits from a sessile biofilm lifestyle that enhances survival outside the host but also contributes to host colonization and infectivity. The bacterial second messenger c-di-GMP has been identified as a central regulator of biofilm formation, including in...