Journal article
A previously uncharacterized gene, yjfO (bsmA), influences Escherichia coli biofilm formation and stress response
Microbiology (Society for General Microbiology), Vol.156(Pt 1), pp.139-147
01/2010
DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.031468-0
PMCID: PMC2889429
PMID: 19833773
Abstract
Bacteria growing as surface-adherent biofilms are better able to withstand chemical and physical stresses than their unattached, planktonic counterparts. Using transcriptional profiling and quantitative PCR, we observed a previously uncharacterized gene,
yjfO
to be upregulated during
Escherichia coli
MG1655 biofilm growth in a chemostat on serine-limited defined medium. A
yjfO
mutant, developed through targeted-insertion mutagenesis, and a
yjfO
-complemented strain, were obtained for further characterization. While bacterial surface colonization levels (c.f.u. cm
−2
) were similar in all three strains, the mutant strain exhibited reduced microcolony formation when observed in flow cells, and greatly enhanced flagellar motility on soft (0.3 %) agar. Complementation of
yjfO
restored microcolony formation and flagellar motility to wild-type levels. Cell surface hydrophobicity and twitching motility were unaffected by the presence or absence of
yjfO
. In contrast to the parent strain, biofilms from the mutant strain were less able to resist acid and peroxide stresses.
yjfO
had no significant effect on
E. coli
biofilm susceptibility to alkali or heat stress. Planktonic cultures from all three strains showed similar responses to these stresses. Regardless of the presence of
yjfO
, planktonic
E. coli
withstood alkali stress better than biofilm populations. Complementation of
yjfO
restored viability following exposure to peroxide stress, but did not restore acid resistance. Based on its influence on biofilm maturation and stress response, and effects on motility, we propose renaming the uncharacterized gene,
yjfO
, as
bsmA
(
b
iofilm
s
tress and
m
otility).
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A previously uncharacterized gene, yjfO (bsmA), influences Escherichia coli biofilm formation and stress response
- Creators
- Mary M Weber - Department of Biology, Texas State University-San Marcos, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, USAChrista L French - Department of Biology, Texas State University-San Marcos, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, USAMary B Barnes - Tulane National Primate Research Center, 18703 Three Rivers Road, Covington, LA 70433-8915, USADeborah A Siegele - Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3258, USARobert J. C McLean - Department of Biology, Texas State University-San Marcos, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Microbiology (Society for General Microbiology), Vol.156(Pt 1), pp.139-147
- DOI
- 10.1099/mic.0.031468-0
- PMID
- 19833773
- PMCID
- PMC2889429
- NLM abbreviation
- Microbiology (Reading)
- ISSN
- 1350-0872
- eISSN
- 1465-2080
- Publisher
- Society for General Microbiology
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/2010
- Academic Unit
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics; Microbiology and Immunology
- Record Identifier
- 9984083872902771
Metrics
32 Record Views