This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ganeshnarayan, K.
Right arrow Articles by Kaplan, J. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ganeshnarayan, K.
Right arrow Articles by Kaplan, J. B.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Ganeshnarayan, K.
Right arrow Articles by Kaplan, J. B.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2009, p. 1308-1314, Vol. 75, No. 5
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01900-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Poly-N-Acetylglucosamine Matrix Polysaccharide Impedes Fluid Convection and Transport of the Cationic Surfactant Cetylpyridinium Chloride through Bacterial Biofilms{triangledown}

Krishnaraj Ganeshnarayan,1 Suhagi M. Shah,1 Matthew R. Libera,2 Anthony Santostefano,1 and Jeffrey B. Kaplan1*

Department of Oral Biology, New Jersey Dental School, Newark, New Jersey,1 Department of Chemical, Biomedical and Materials Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey2

Received 15 August 2008/ Accepted 16 December 2008

Biofilms are composed of bacterial cells encased in a self-synthesized, extracellular polymeric matrix. Poly-β(1,6)-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (PNAG) is a major biofilm matrix component in phylogenetically diverse bacteria. In this study we investigated the physical and chemical properties of the PNAG matrix in biofilms produced in vitro by the gram-negative porcine respiratory pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and the gram-positive device-associated pathogen Staphylococcus epidermidis. The effect of PNAG on bulk fluid flow was determined by measuring the rate of fluid convection through biofilms cultured in centrifugal filter devices. The rate of fluid convection was significantly higher in biofilms cultured in the presence of the PNAG-degrading enzyme dispersin B than in biofilms cultured without the enzyme, indicating that PNAG decreases bulk fluid flow. PNAG also blocked transport of the quaternary ammonium compound cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) through the biofilms. Binding of CPC to biofilms further impeded fluid convection and blocked transport of the azo dye Allura red. Bioactive CPC was efficiently eluted from biofilms by treatment with 1 M sodium chloride. Taken together, these findings suggest that CPC reacts directly with the PNAG matrix and alters its physical and chemical properties. Our results indicate that PNAG plays an important role in controlling the physiological state of biofilms and may contribute to additional biofilm-associated processes such as biocide resistance.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Medical Science Building, Room C-636, 185 S. Orange Ave., Newark, NJ 07103. Phone: (973) 972-9508. Fax: (973) 972-0045. E-mail: kaplanjb{at}umdnj.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 29 December 2008.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2009, p. 1308-1314, Vol. 75, No. 5
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01900-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»