Biofilm formation

Biofilms are the result of the multicellular lifestyle of B. subtilis. They are characterized by the formation of a matrix polysaccharide and an amyloid-like protein, TasA. Correction of sfp, epsC, swrAA, and degQ as well as introduction of rapP from a plasmid present in NCIB3610 results in biofilm formation in B. subtilis 168 PubMed.

Parent categories	4. Lifestyles 4.1. Exponential and early post-exponential lifestyles
Neighbouring categories	4.1.1. Motility and chemotaxis 4.1.2. Biofilm formation 4.1.3. Genetic competence
Related categories	SinR regulon
Overview on the categories (Excel file) All genes and their categories (Excel file)

Labs working on biofilm formation

• Daniel Kearns
• Roberto Kolter
• Akos T Kovacs
• Oscar Kuipers
• Beth Lazazzera
• Richard Losick
• Nicola Stanley-Wall
• Jörg Stülke

Key genes and operons involved in biofilm formation

• matrix polysaccharide synthesis:
  • epsA-epsB-epsC-epsD-epsE-epsF-epsG-epsH-epsI-epsJ-epsK-epsL-epsM-epsN-epsO
  • galE
• amyloid protein synthesis, secretion and assembly
  • tapA-sipW-tasA
• repellent surface layer
  • bslA
• regulation
  • SlrR
  • SlrA
  • SinR
  • SinI
  • KinC
  • KinD
  • Spo0A
  • PtkA
  • TkmA
  • PtpZ
  • DegU
  • DegQ
  • YmdB
  • FtsH
• biofilm disassembly (D-amino acids produced by RacX and YlmE and norspermidine produced by GabT and YaaO act together in preventing biofilm formation and triggering biofilm disassembly PubMed)
  • RacX
  • YlmE
  • GabT
  • YaaO
• other proteins required for biofilm formation
  • AmpS
  • FloT
  • LuxS
  • RemA
  • RemB
  • Rny
  • Sfp/1
  • Sfp/2
  • SpeA
  • SwrAA
  • YisP
  • YlbF
  • YmcA
  • YvcA
  • YwcC
  • YxaB

Important original publications

Additional publications: PubMed

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Munehiro Asally, Mark Kittisopikul, Pau Rué, Yingjie Du, Zhenxing Hu, Tolga Çağatay, Andra B Robinson, Hongbing Lu, Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo, Gürol M Süel
Localized cell death focuses mechanical forces during 3D patterning in a biofilm.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A: 2012, 109(46);18891-6
[PubMed:23012477] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Key reviews

Additional reviews: PubMed

Elizabeth Anne Shank, Roberto Kolter
Extracellular signaling and multicellularity in Bacillus subtilis.
Curr Opin Microbiol: 2011, 14(6);741-7
[PubMed:22024380] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Tjakko Abee, Akos T Kovács, Oscar P Kuipers, Stijn van der Veen
Biofilm formation and dispersal in Gram-positive bacteria.
Curr Opin Biotechnol: 2011, 22(2);172-9
[PubMed:21109420] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Roberto Kolter
Biofilms in lab and nature: a molecular geneticist's voyage to microbial ecology.
Int Microbiol: 2010, 13(1);1-7
[PubMed:20890834] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Massimiliano Marvasi, Pieter T Visscher, Lilliam Casillas Martinez
Exopolymeric substances (EPS) from Bacillus subtilis: polymers and genes encoding their synthesis.
FEMS Microbiol Lett: 2010, 313(1);1-9
[PubMed:20735481] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Daniel López, Hera Vlamakis, Roberto Kolter
Biofilms.
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol: 2010, 2(7);a000398
[PubMed:20519345] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Daniel Lopez, Hera Vlamakis, Roberto Kolter
Generation of multiple cell types in Bacillus subtilis.
FEMS Microbiol Rev: 2009, 33(1);152-63
[PubMed:19054118] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Hera Vlamakis, Claudio Aguilar, Richard Losick, Roberto Kolter
Control of cell fate by the formation of an architecturally complex bacterial community.
Genes Dev: 2008, 22(7);945-53
[PubMed:18381896] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Wolf-Rainer Abraham
Controlling biofilms of gram-positive pathogenic bacteria.
Curr Med Chem: 2006, 13(13);1509-24
[PubMed:16787201] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

J A Shapiro
Thinking about bacterial populations as multicellular organisms.
Annu Rev Microbiol: 1998, 52;81-104
[PubMed:9891794] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)