title: Forces guiding staphylococcal adhesion.
abstract: Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus are two important nosocomial pathogens that form biofilms on indwelling medical devices. Biofilm infections are difficult to fight as cells within the biofilm show increased resistance to antibiotics. Our understanding of the molecular interactions driving bacterial adhesion, the first stage of biofilm formation, has long been hampered by the paucity of appropriate force-measuring techniques. In this minireview, we discuss how atomic force microscopy techniques have enabled to shed light on the molecular forces at play during staphylococcal adhesion. Specific highlights include the study of the binding mechanisms of adhesion molecules by means of single-molecule force spectroscopy, the measurement of the forces involved in whole cell interactions using single-cell force spectroscopy, and the probing of the nanobiophysical properties of living bacteria via multiparametric imaging. Collectively, these findings emphasize the notion that force and function are tightly connected in staphylococcal adhesion.
authors.affiliation: Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Life Sciences, Croix du Sud 4-5, bte L7.07.06, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Herman-Bausier
authors.affiliation: Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Life Sciences, Croix du Sud 4-5, bte L7.07.06, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Formosa-Dague
authors.affiliation: Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Life Sciences, Croix du Sud 4-5, bte L7.07.06, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Feuillie
authors.affiliation: Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Life Sciences, Croix du Sud 4-5, bte L7.07.06, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valotteau
authors.affiliation: Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Life Sciences, Croix du Sud 4-5, bte L7.07.06, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology (WELBIO), Belgium. Electronic address: Yves.Dufrene@uclouvain.be.
authors.forename: Yves F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Dufrêne
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000472:pathogenicity
keywords: Atomic force microscopy; Bacterial adhesion; Biofilms; Molecular forces; Nosocomial infections; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus epidermidis