title: Selective labelling and eradication of antibiotic-tolerant bacterial populations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms.
abstract: Drug resistance and tolerance greatly diminish the therapeutic potential of antibiotics against pathogens. Antibiotic tolerance by bacterial biofilms often leads to persistent infections, but its mechanisms are unclear. Here we use a proteomics approach, pulsed stable isotope labelling with amino acids (pulsed-SILAC), to quantify newly expressed proteins in colistin-tolerant subpopulations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms (colistin is a 'last-resort' antibiotic against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens). Migration is essential for the formation of colistin-tolerant biofilm subpopulations, with colistin-tolerant cells using type IV pili to migrate onto the top of the colistin-killed biofilm. The colistin-tolerant cells employ quorum sensing (QS) to initiate the formation of new colistin-tolerant subpopulations, highlighting multicellular behaviour in antibiotic tolerance development. The macrolide erythromycin, which has been previously shown to inhibit the motility and QS of P. aeruginosa, boosts biofilm eradication by colistin. Our work provides insights on the mechanisms underlying the formation of antibiotic-tolerant populations in bacterial biofilms and indicates research avenues for designing more efficient treatments against biofilm-associated infections.
authors.affiliation: Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore.|NUS Graduate School of Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore.
authors.forename: Song Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.affiliation: Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore.|Interdisciplinary Graduate School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
authors.forename: Joey Kuok Hoong
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Yam
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Division of Structural Biology and Biochemistry, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
authors.forename: Piliang
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Division of Structural Biology and Biochemistry, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
authors.forename: Sunil S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Adav
authors.affiliation: Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
authors.forename: May Margarette
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Salido
authors.affiliation: Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore.|Costerton Biofilm Center, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 København N, Denmark.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Givskov
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Division of Structural Biology and Biochemistry, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
authors.forename: Siu Kwan
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sze
authors.affiliation: Costerton Biofilm Center, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 København N, Denmark.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tolker-Nielsen
authors.affiliation: Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore.|School of Biological Sciences, Division of Structural Biology and Biochemistry, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D003091:Colistin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D053038:Quorum Sensing / Q000187:drug effects; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004917:Erythromycin; D003091:Colistin