Cell wall associated protein TasA provides an initial binding component to extracellular polysaccharides in dual-species biofilm

Sci Rep. 2018 Jun 19;8(1):9350. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-27548-1.

Abstract

Many bacteria in biofilm surround themselves by an extracellular matrix composed mainly of extracellular polysaccharide (EP), proteins such as amyloid-like fibers (ALF) and nucleic acids. While the importance of EP in attachment and acceleration of biofilm by a number of different bacterial species is well established, the contribution of ALF to attachment in multispecies biofilm remains unknown. The study presented here aimed to investigate the role of TasA, a precursor for ALF, in cell-cell interactions in dual-species biofilms of Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus mutans. Expression of major B. subtilis matrix operons was significantly up-regulated in the presence of S. mutans during different stages of biofilm formation, suggesting that the two species interacted and modulated gene expression in each other. Wild-type B. subtilis expressing TasA adhered strongly to S. mutans biofilm, while a TasA-deficient mutant was less adhesive and consequently less abundant in the dual-species biofilm. Dextran, a biofilm polysaccharide, induced aggregation of B. subtilis and stimulated adhesion to S. mutans biofilms. This effect was only observed in the wild-type strain, suggesting that interactions between TasA and dextran-associated EP plays an important role in inter-species interactions during initial stages of multispecies biofilm development.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Biofilms*
  • Cell Wall / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Polysaccharides, Bacterial / metabolism*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Polysaccharides, Bacterial