This Article Full Text (PDF) Other Versions of this Article: AEM.02625-06v1 73/10/3391    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Da Re, S. Articles by Beloin, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Da Re, S. Articles by Beloin, C. Agricola Articles by Da Re, S. Articles by Beloin, C.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl. Environ. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/AEM.02625-06
Copyright (c) 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Tight modulation of Escherichia coli bacterial biofilm formation through controlled expression of adhesion factors

Groupe de Génétique des Biofilms - CNRS URA 2172, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris CEDEX 15, France

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: cbeloin{at}pasteur.fr.

	Abstract

Despite the economic and sanitary problems caused by harmful biofilms, biofilms are nonetheless used empirically in industrial environmental and bioremediation processes and may be of potential use in medical settings for interfering with pathogen development. Escherichia coli is one of the bacteria in which biofilm formation has been studied in great detail, and it is especially appreciated for biotechnology applications because of its genetic amenability. Here we develop two new genetic tools enabling constitutive and inducible expression of any gene/operon of interest at its native locus. In addition to providing valuable tools for complementation and overexpression experiments, these two compact genetic cassettes were used to modulate the biofilm formation capacities of E. coli by taking control of two biofilm promoting factors, autotransported antigen 43 adhesin and the bscABZC cellulose operon. Modulation of biofilm formation capacities of E. coli or those of other bacteria capable of being genetically manipulated could be of use both for reducing and for improving their impact in a number of industrial and medical applications.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Valle, J., Mabbett, A. N., Ulett, G. C., Toledo-Arana, A., Wecker, K., Totsika, M., Schembri, M. A., Ghigo, J.-M., Beloin, C. (2008). UpaG, a New Member of the Trimeric Autotransporter Family of Adhesins in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 190: 4147-4161 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Valle, J., Da Re, S., Schmid, S., Skurnik, D., D'Ari, R., Ghigo, J.-M. (2008). The Amino Acid Valine Is Secreted in Continuous-Flow Bacterial Biofilms. J. Bacteriol. 190: 264-274 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Le Guyader, D., Redd, M. J., Colucci-Guyon, E., Murayama, E., Kissa, K., Briolat, V., Mordelet, E., Zapata, A., Shinomiya, H., Herbomel, P. (2008). Origins and unconventional behavior of neutrophils in developing zebrafish. Blood 111: 132-141 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lu, T. K., Collins, J. J. (2007). Dispersing biofilms with engineered enzymatic bacteriophage. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 11197-11202 [Abstract] [Full Text]