Genetic determinants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm establishment.
The establishment of bacterial biofilms on surfaces is a complex process that requires various factors for each consecutive developmental step. Here we report the screening of the comprehensive Harvard Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 mutant library for mutants exhibiting an altered biofilm phenotype. We analysed the capability of all mutants to form biofilms at the bottom of a 96-well plate by the use of an automated confocal laser-scanning microscope and found 394 and 285 genetic determinants of reduced and enhanced biofilm production, respectively. Overall, 67 % of the identified mutants were affected within genes encoding hypothetical proteins, indicating that novel developmental pathways are likely to be dissected in the future. Nevertheless, a common theme that emerged from the analysis of the genes with a predicted function is that the establishment of a biofilm requires regulatory components that are involved in survival under microaerophilic growth conditions, arginine metabolism, alkyl-quinolone signalling, pH homeostasis and the DNA repair system.
Chronic Pseudomonas Infection Research Group, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Inhoffenstrasse 7, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
Mathias
M
Müsken
Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Forckenbeck Str. 6, D-52704 Aachen, Germany.|Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, D-52704 Aachen, Germany.
Stefano
S
Di Fiore
Chronic Pseudomonas Infection Research Group, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Inhoffenstrasse 7, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
Andreas
A
Dötsch
Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Forckenbeck Str. 6, D-52704 Aachen, Germany.
Rainer
R
Fischer
Twincore, Center for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture of the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research and the Medical School Hannover, Feodor Lynen Strasse 7, D-30265 Hannover, Germany.|Chronic Pseudomonas Infection Research Group, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Inhoffenstrasse 7, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
Susanne
S
Häussler
D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000235:genetics; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006706:Homeostasis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009154:Mutation; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D001120:Arginine