title: Just in case it rains: building a hydrophobic biofilm the Bacillus subtilis way.
abstract: Over the millennia, diverse species of bacteria have evolved multiple independent mechanisms to structure sessile biofilm communities that confer protection and stability to the inhabitants. The Gram-positive soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis biofilm presents as an architecturally complex, highly hydrophobic community that resists wetting by water, solvents, and biocides. This remarkable property is conferred by a small secreted protein called BslA, which self-assembles into an organized lattice at an interface. In the biofilm, production of BslA is tightly regulated and the resultant protein is secreted into the extracellular environment where it forms a very effective communal barrier allowing the resident B. subtilis cells to shelter under the protection of a protein raincoat.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arnaouteli
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Electronic address: cait.macphee@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Cait E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: MacPhee
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom. Electronic address: n.r.stanleywall@dundee.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nicola R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Stanley-Wall
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000502:physiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins