title: Identification of functions linking quorum sensing with biofilm formation in Burkholderia cenocepacia H111.
abstract: Burkholderia cenocepacia has emerged as an important pathogen for patients suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF). Previous work has shown that this organism employs the CepIR quorum-sensing (QS) system to control the expression of virulence factors as well as the formation of biofilms. To date, however, very little is known about the QS-regulated virulence factors and virtually nothing about the factors that link QS and biofilm formation. Here, we have employed a combined transcriptomic and proteomic approach to precisely define the QS regulon in our model strain B. cenocepacia H111, a CF isolate. Among the identified CepR-activated loci, three were analyzed in better detail for their roles in biofilm development: (i) a gene cluster coding for the BclACB lectins, (ii) the large surface protein BapA, and (iii) a type I pilus. The analysis of defined mutants revealed that BapA plays a major role in biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces while inactivation of the type I pilus showed little effect both in a static microtitre dish-based biofilm assay and in flow-through cells. Inactivation of the bclACB lectin genes resulted in biofilms containing hollow microcolonies, suggesting that the lectins are important for biofilm structural development.
authors.forename: Silja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inhülsen
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suppiger
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Riedel
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eberl