Abstract
AbstractBiofilm formation is a major concern in any venture in the marine environment and often precedes the establishment of fouling by macro-organisms. In this study, the effects of three known cell-to-cell signalling molecules, nitric oxide (NO), cis-2-decenoic acid (CDA) and patulin, on the formation of marine biofilms were investigated. Each of the molecules has been shown to affect biofilms and this is the first study to investigate their effect on mixed communities of marine biofilm-forming micro-organisms. Studies of the biomass of those biofilms grown in the presence of the molecules showed that all three reduced biofilm formation by marine communities, with both NO and patulin reducing biofilm formation by more than 90% at the highest concentrations studied. However, colony counts revealed that the effect of patulin is likely due to toxicity. Analyses of the biofilm communities were also carried out using DGGE to determine whether there was any variation in the effects of each molecule on differ...
Highlights
The formation of biofilms in the marine environment is an ubiquitous process which can have significant impacts on the functioning of marine equipment
Biofilms Biofilms were grown from a complex marine bacterial inoculum in the presence of low-concentration diffusible molecules (LCDM) to determine their effect on biofilm formation
This study has shown that the nitric oxide (NO)-donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) reduced the growth of biofilms when it was present from the beginning of biofilm development
Summary
The formation of biofilms in the marine environment is an ubiquitous process which can have significant impacts on the functioning of marine equipment. Biofilms alone can increase the frictional resistance of a ship’s hull through the water by up to 18% (Haslbeck & Bohlander, 1992), leading to significant increases in fuel consumption. Marrs, Head, Cowling, Hodgkiess, and Davenport (1999) showed that marine biofilms absorbed up to 65% of light shone through them and so can seriously reduce the effectiveness of optical marine sensors. It is clear that marine biofilms are a serious concern to any human venture in the marine environment, and as such, their formation and its remediation are of great interest. Biofilms are complex structures with highly regulated biological processes. Many of the processes involved in the life cycle of a biofilm utilise chemical signalling to allow synchronisation between cells and so increase the efficiency of the biofilm for gathering nutrients and avoiding predation or attack from harmful agents
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