Finding gene-expression patterns in bacterial biofilms.
The production of biofilms by bacteria is a lifestyle that is thought to require or involve a differential gene expression compared with that of planktonic bacteria. Recently, we have witnessed a change of focus from the simple hunt for hypothetical essential biofilm genes to the identification of late and more complex biofilm functions. However, finding common bacterial biofilm gene-expression patterns through global expression analysis remains difficult. Owing to the apparently minimal overlap between functions involved in biofilm formation by different bacteria, exploring the biofilm lifestyle could prove to be a case-by-case task for which global approaches show their limits.
Beloin
Christophe
C
Groupe de Génétique des Biofilms, Institut Pasteur, CNRS URA 2172, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris CEDEX 15, France.
Ghigo
Jean-Marc
JM
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D018441:Biofilms; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial