title: Biofilm formation mechanisms and targets for developing antibiofilm agents.
abstract: Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that are attached to a surface and play a significant role in the persistence of bacterial infections. Bacteria within a biofilm are several orders of magnitude more resistant to antibiotics, compared with planktonic bacteria. Thus far, no drugs are in clinical use that specifically target bacterial biofilms. This is probably because until recently the molecular details of biofilm formation were poorly understood. Bacteria integrate information from the environment, such as quorum-sensing autoinducers and nutrients, into appropriate biofilm-related gene expression, and the identity of the key players, such as cyclic dinucleotide second messengers and regulatory RNAs are beginning to be uncovered. Herein, we highlight the current understanding of the processes that lead to biofilm formation in many bacteria.
authors: Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
authors: Nira
authors: N
authors: Rabin
authors: Yue
authors: Y
authors: Zheng
authors: Clement
authors: C
authors: Opoku-Temeng
authors: Yixuan
authors: Y
authors: Du
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Bonsu
authors: Herman O
authors: HO
authors: Sintim
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents