Abstract
The Congo red derivative (E,E)-1-fluoro-2,5-bis(3-hydroxycarbonyl-4-hydroxy) styrylbenzene (FSB) specifically stains the functional amyloid curli in Escherichia coli biofilms. FSB binds to curli with similar affinity as Congo red, yet exhibits much greater fluorescence upon binding to curli as compared to Congo red and does not exhibit undesired binding to the cellulosic component of the biofilm. Thus, FSB presents a powerful tool to identify and visualize curli in E. coli biofilms and also enables new biophysical investigations of curli.
Highlights
Bacteria are able to colonize an astonishing range of environments
Curli production is prevalent among uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) clinical isolates, the major causative agent of urinary tract infections including acute and chronic and recurrent infections [14]
Congo red (CR) exhibits a red-shift in absorbance and fluorescence when bound to amyloid fibers
Summary
Bacteria tend to associate with surfaces which improves their access to nutritive, protective, or otherwise beneficial environments [1] To this end, bacteria employ a range of cellsurface fibers, adhesins, and receptors to interact with their environments [2,3,4,5,6,7]. Bacteria employ a range of cellsurface fibers, adhesins, and receptors to interact with their environments [2,3,4,5,6,7] As one of their adhesive strategies, many bacterial species can produce cell surface-associated amyloid fibers, which have a variety of functions including cell adhesion, biofilm formation, and virulence [2,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. Curli and phosphoethanolamine-modified cellulose, compose the insoluble UTI89 extracellular matrix in an approximate 6:1 mass ratio [17,18]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
