Abstract
Bacterial biofilms are communities of cells enclosed in an extracellular polymeric matrix in which cells adhere to each other and to foreign surfaces. The development of a biofilm is a dynamic process that involves multiple steps, including cell-surface attachment, matrix production, and population expansion. Increasing evidence indicates that biofilm adhesion is one of the main factors contributing to biofilm-associated infections in clinics and biofouling in industrial settings. This review focuses on describing biofilm adhesion strategies among different bacteria, including Vibrio cholerae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. Techniques used to characterize biofilm adhesion are also reviewed. An understanding of biofilm adhesion strategies can guide the development of novel approaches to inhibit or manipulate biofilm adhesion and growth.
Highlights
Having lived on Earth for billions of years, bacteria thrive in hospitable environments, including rivers, soil, and vegetation, and further inhabit extreme environments, such as hot springs, the deep ocean, and even nuclear waste (Fredrickson et al, 2004; Fouke, 2016; Tarn et al, 2016)
The biofilm matrix is made of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), which are a complex mixture consisting of exopolysaccharides, accessory proteins, lipids, and sometimes extracellular DNA
Having reviewed the methodology involved in measuring biofilm adhesion, we examine several model organisms to illustrate various strategies used by bacterial biofilms to attach to surfaces
Summary
Having lived on Earth for billions of years, bacteria thrive in hospitable environments, including rivers, soil, and vegetation, and further inhabit extreme environments, such as hot springs, the deep ocean, and even nuclear waste (Fredrickson et al, 2004; Fouke, 2016; Tarn et al, 2016). The concept of biofilm adhesion is surprisingly difficult to define precisely Unlike animals, such as squid that can rely on suction, or geckos that make use of a complex patterned surface topography (Autumn et al, 2014), biofilm-dwelling bacteria only have microscopic interactions to work with. There is an inherent “avidity” effect (Erlendsson and Teilum, 2021) for biofilm adhesion: Adhesion molecules in the biofilm matrix can bind to foreign surfaces simultaneously and increase the adhesive energy collectively; adhesins that function for individual cells can be amplified on the scale of the entire biofilm We include both cases in the current review with a focus on adhesion molecules that are known to be relevant for biofilm formation; readers are referred to more comprehensive reviews on wellstudied adhesins that function primarily for isolated cells, such as FimH in Escherichia coli (Le Trong et al, 2010; Juge, 2012).
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