Journal article
Quorum Sensing in Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms
Journal of bacteriology, Vol.186(6), pp.1838-1850
03/01/2004
DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.6.1838-1850.2004
PMCID: PMC355980
PMID: 14996815
Abstract
Several serious diseases are caused by biofilm-associated
Staphylococcus aureus
, infections in which the accessory gene regulator (
agr
) quorum-sensing system is thought to play an important role. We studied the contribution of
agr
to biofilm development, and we examined
agr
-dependent transcription in biofilms. Under some conditions, disruption of
agr
expression had no discernible influence on biofilm formation, while under others it either inhibited or enhanced biofilm formation. Under those conditions where
agr
expression enhanced biofilm formation, biofilms of an
agr
signaling mutant were particularly sensitive to rifampin but not to oxacillin. Time lapse confocal scanning laser microscopy showed that, similar to the expression of an
agr
-independent fluorescent reporter, biofilm expression of an
agr
-dependent reporter was in patches within cell clusters and oscillated with time. In some cases, loss of fluorescence appeared to coincide with detachment of cells from the biofilm. Our studies indicate that the role of
agr
expression in biofilm development and behavior depends on environmental conditions. We also suggest that detachment of cells expressing
agr
from biofilms may have important clinical implications.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Quorum Sensing in Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms
- Creators
- Jeremy M. Yarwood - Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of MedicineDouglas J. Bartels - Vertex PharmaceuticalsEsther M. Volper - Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of MedicineE. Peter Greenberg - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of bacteriology, Vol.186(6), pp.1838-1850
- Publisher
- American Society for Microbiology
- DOI
- 10.1128/JB.186.6.1838-1850.2004
- PMID
- 14996815
- PMCID
- PMC355980
- ISSN
- 0021-9193
- eISSN
- 1098-5530
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/01/2004
- Academic Unit
- Anatomy and Cell Biology
- Record Identifier
- 9984284329402771
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