Identification of functions linking quorum sensing with biofilm formation in Burkholderia cenocepacia H111

MicrobiologyOpen

Silja Inhülsen²  Claudio Aguilar²  Nadine Schmid²  Angela Suppiger²  Kathrin Riedel¹ 

[1] Institute of Microbiology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, Greifswald,, Germany;Department of Microbiology, Institute of Plant Biology, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse, Zurich,, Switzerland

关键词: Biofilm;    Burkholderia cenocepacia;    microarray;    proteomics;    quorum sensing;   

DOI  :  10.1002/mbo3.24

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

Burkholderia cenocepacia has emerged as an important pathogen for patients suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF). Previous work has shown that this organism employs the CepIR quorum-sensing (QS) system to control the expression of virulence factors as well as the formation of biofilms. To date, however, very little is known about the QS-regulated virulence factors and virtually nothing about the factors that link QS and biofilm formation. Here, we have employed a combined transcriptomic and proteomic approach to precisely define the QS regulon in our model strain B. cenocepacia H111, a CF isolate. Among the identified CepR-activated loci, three were analyzed in better detail for their roles in biofilm development: (i) a gene cluster coding for the BclACB lectins, (ii) the large surface protein BapA, and (iii) a type I pilus. The analysis of defined mutants revealed that BapA plays a major role in biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces while inactivation of the type I pilus showed little effect both in a static microtitre dish-based biofilm assay and in flow-through cells. Inactivation of the bclACB lectin genes resulted in biofilms containing hollow microcolonies, suggesting that the lectins are important for biofilm structural development.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC   
© 2012 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

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