Impact of Alginate Overproduction on Attachment and Biofilm Architecture of a Supermucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain

• DOI: 10.1128/aem.01078-09
• Publication Date: 2009-08-01T01:27:43Z
• Authors: Iain D. Hay; Kali Gatland; Andrea Campisano; J. Zoe Jordens; Bernd H. A. Rehm
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Alginates; Hexuronic Acids; Bacterial Adhesion; 03 medical and health sciences; Glucuronic Acid; Genes, Bacterial; Biofilms; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Microbiology not elsewhere classified; Gene Deletion; Polysaccharide-Lyases

ABSTRACT

The supermucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PDO300Δ alg8 (pBBR1MCS-5: alg8 ) showed strongly impaired attachment compared with the respective mucoid or nonmucoid strains and formed a thicker biofilm with large extended mushroom-like microcolonies. Alginate lyase treatment dissolved microcolonies. The data suggested that alginate overproduction impairs attachment but plays a structural role in microcolony formation.