Pseudomonas aeruginosa-accelerated corrosion of Mo-bearing low-alloy steel through molybdenum-mediating chemotaxis and motility

Abstract

In this work, we found that the microbiologically influenced corrosion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was mediated by Mo in low-alloy steel. Through immersion experiments, we found that the corrosion rate of low-alloy steel was not decreased with the addition of 1.0 wt% Mo. However, in the presence of P. aeruginosa, the corrosion rate of the 1.0 wt% Mo steel was accelerated, resulting in the development of pits. Confocal laser scanning microscopy images revealed that more biofilm cells adhered on the 1.0 wt% Mo steel surface. The chemotactic behavior and swimming ability of the bacteria were the main reason for the greater biofilm cell adhesion in the presence of Mo. Using an RNA-seq assay, we verified that both chemotaxis and motility together affected the adhesion of biofilm, and their related genes were affected by Mo.