title: Rapid, sensitive and direct analysis of exopolysaccharides from biofilm on aluminum surfaces exposed to sea water using MALDI-TOF MS.
abstract: Biofilm studies have extensive significance since their results can provide insights into the behavior of bacteria on material surfaces when exposed to natural water. This is the first attempt of using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) for detecting the polysaccharides formed in a complex biofilm consisting of a mixed consortium of marine microbes. MALDI-MS has been applied to directly analyze exopolysaccharides (EPS) in the biofilm formed on aluminum surfaces exposed to seawater. The optimal conditions for MALDI-MS applied to EPS analysis of biofilm have been described. In addition, microbiologically influenced corrosion of aluminum exposed to sea water by a marine fungus was also observed and the fungus identity established using MALDI-MS analysis of EPS. Rapid, sensitive and direct MALDI-MS analysis on biofilm would dramatically speed up and provide new insights into biofilm studies due to its excellent advantages such as simplicity, high sensitivity, high selectivity and high speed. This study introduces a novel, fast, sensitive and selective platform for biofilm study from natural water without the need of tedious culturing steps or complicated sample pretreatment procedures.
authors: Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, 70, Lien-Hai Road, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan.
authors: Nazim
authors: N
authors: Hasan
authors: Judy
authors: J
authors: Gopal
authors: Hui-Fen
authors: HF
authors: Wu
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000737:chemistry*; D018441:Biofilms; D003343:Corrosion; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D000535:Aluminum