title: Engineering bacteria to form a biofilm and induce clumping in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: Bacteria are needed for a vast range of biotechnological processes, which they carry out either as pure cultures or in association with other bacteria and/or fungi. The potential of bacteria as biofactories is hampered, though, by their limited mobility in solid or semisolid media such as agricultural or domestic waste. This work represents an attempt toward overcoming this limitation by associating bacterial biotechnological properties with the transport ability of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We report here biofilm formation on C. elegans by engineered Escherichia coli expressing a Xhenorhabdus nematophila adhesion operon and induction of nematode social feeding behavior (clumping) through an E. coli-mediated iRNA blocking on the expression of FLP-21, a neuropeptide involved in worm solitary behavior.
authors.affiliation: Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat de València , 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dorado-Morales
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iglesias
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zafrilla
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valero
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miravet-Verde
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Loma
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mañas
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corman
authors.forename: Lucas J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Juli
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peretó
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vilanova
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Porcar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057005:Bioengineering / Q000379:methods*; D018441:Biofilms; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D034622:RNA Interference; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D058615:Synthetic Biology / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins