Just in case it rains: building a hydrophobic biofilm the Bacillus subtilis way

TY - JOUR

T1 - Just in case it rains

T2 - building a hydrophobic biofilm the Bacillus subtilis way

AU - Arnaouteli, Sofia

AU - MacPhee, Cait E.

AU - Stanley-Wall, Nicola

PY - 2016/12

Y1 - 2016/12

N2 - 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 organised lattice at an interface. In the biofilm, production of BslA is tightly regulated and the resultant protein is secreted in 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.

AB - 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 organised lattice at an interface. In the biofilm, production of BslA is tightly regulated and the resultant protein is secreted in 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.

U2 - 10.1016/j.mib.2016.07.012

DO - 10.1016/j.mib.2016.07.012

M3 - Article

C2 - 27458867

SN - 1369-5274

VL - 34

SP - 7

EP - 12

JO - Current Opinion in Microbiology

JF - Current Opinion in Microbiology

ER -