title: Effect of extracellular polymeric substances on the mechanical properties of Rhodococcus.
abstract: The mechanical properties of Rhodococcus RC291 were measured using force spectroscopy equipped with a bacterial cell probe. Rhodococcal cells in the late growth stage of development were found to have greater adhesion to a silicon oxide surface than those in the early growth stage. This is because there are more extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that contain nonspecific binding sites available on the cells of late growth stage. It is found that EPS in the late exponential phase are less densely bound but consist of chains able to extend further into their local environment, while the denser EPS at the late stationary phase act more to sheath the cell. Contraction and extension of the EPS could change the density of the binding sites, and therefore affect the magnitude of the adhesion force between the EPS and the silicon oxide surface. By treating rhodococcal EPS as a surface-grafted polyelectrolyte layer and using scaling theory, the interaction between EPS and a solid substrate was modelled for the cell approaching the surface which revealed that EPS possess a large capacity to store charge. Changing the pH of the surrounding medium acts to change the conformation of EPS chains.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK. Electronic address: zhenyu.zhang@strath.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Zhenyu J
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK.
authors.forename: Ana L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Morales-García
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mears
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Royal Derby Hospital, Uttoxeter Road, Derby DE22 3DT, UK.
authors.forename: Drew S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Tarmey
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK.
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Edyvean
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7HQ, UK.
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Banwart
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geoghegan
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001665:Binding Sites; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D015335:Molecular Probes / Q000737:chemistry; D011107:Polylysine / Q000737:chemistry; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry*; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000737:chemistry*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D055672:Static Electricity; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D015335:Molecular Probes; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D011107:Polylysine; D012822:Silicon Dioxide
keywords: AFM; Bacterial cell probe; Extracellular polymeric substances; Force spectroscopy; Polyelectrolytes; Rhodococcus