title: Biofilm formation and interspecies interactions in mixed cultures of thermo-acidophilic archaea Acidianus spp. and Sulfolobus metallicus.
abstract: The understanding of biofilm formation by bioleaching microorganisms is of great importance for influencing mineral dissolution rates and to prevent acid mine drainage (AMD). Thermo-acidophilic archaea such as Acidianus, Sulfolobus and Metallosphaera are of special interest due to their ability to perform leaching at high temperatures, thereby enhancing leaching rates. In this work, leaching experiments and visualization by microscopy of cell attachment and biofilm formation patterns of the crenarchaeotes Sulfolobus metallicus DSM 6482(T) and the Acidianus isolates DSM 29038 and DSM 29099 in pure and mixed cultures on sulfur or pyrite were studied. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) combined with fluorescent dyes as well as fluorescently labeled lectins were used to visualize different components (e.g. DNA, proteins or glycoconjugates) of the aforementioned species. The data indicate that cell attachment and the subsequently formed biofilms were species- and substrate-dependent. Pyrite leaching experiments coupled with pre-colonization and further inoculation with a second species suggest that both species may negatively influence each other during pyrite leaching with respect to initial attachment and pyrite dissolution rates. In addition, the investigation of binary biofilms on pyrite showed that both species were heterogeneously distributed on pyrite surfaces in the form of individual cells or microcolonies. Physical contact between the two species seems to occur, as revealed by specific lectins able to specifically bind single species within mixed cultures.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Fermentaciones Industriales (CINDEFI, CCT La Plata - CONICET, UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), calle 47 y 115, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: Biofilm Centre, Aquatische Biotechnologie, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ruiyong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Biofilm Centre, Aquatische Biotechnologie, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Biofilm Centre, Aquatische Biotechnologie, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sören
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bellenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of River Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Brueckstrasse 3A, 39114 Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Neu
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Fermentaciones Industriales (CINDEFI, CCT La Plata - CONICET, UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), calle 47 y 115, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Edgardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Donati
authors.affiliation: Biofilm Centre, Aquatische Biotechnologie, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sand
authors.affiliation: Biofilm Centre, Aquatische Biotechnologie, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany; Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering, Schools of Engineering, Medicine and Biological Sciences, Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 782-0436 Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: mariovera@uc.cl.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vera
mesh_terms: D041541:Acidianus / Q000502:physiology*; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D056265:Microbial Interactions; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D013440:Sulfides / Q000378:metabolism; D016944:Sulfolobus / Q000502:physiology*; D013455:Sulfur / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013440:Sulfides; C011342:pyrite; D013455:Sulfur; D007501:Iron
keywords: Acidianus spp; Biofilm formation; Interspecies interactions; Sulfolobus metallicus; Thermo-acidophilic archaea