Mycobacterial biofilms: a greasy way to hold it together.
Microorganisms growing on surfaces can form biofilms under certain conditions. In this issue of Cell, Ojha et al. (2005) investigate biofilm formation in mycobacteria. They identify new cell-wall components that are required for the formation of architecturally complex mature biofilms in these bacteria and the surprising involvement of a chaperone protein in this process.
Zambrano
María Mercedes
MM
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Kolter
Roberto
R
D018441:Biofilms; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry*; D018834:Chaperonin 60 / Q000378:metabolism; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000378:metabolism; D020102:Mycobacterium smegmatis / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D009171:Mycolic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
D018834:Chaperonin 60; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D009171:Mycolic Acids