Abstract
We have used Escherichia coli as a model system to investigate the initiation of biofilm formation. Here, we demonstrate that E. coli forms biofilms on multiple abiotic surfaces in a nutrient‐dependent fashion. In addition, we have isolated insertion mutations that render this organism defective in biofilm formation. One‐half of these mutations was found to perturb normal flagellar function. Using defined fli , flh , mot and che alleles, we show that motility, but not chemotaxis, is critical for normal biofilm formation. Microscopic analyses of these mutants suggest that motility is important for both initial interaction with the surface and for movement along the surface. In addition, we present evidence that type I pili (harbouring the mannose‐specific adhesin, FimH) are required for initial surface attachment and that mannose inhibits normal attachment. In light of the observations presented here, a working model is discussed that describes the roles of both motility and type I pili in biofilm development.
Keywords
PilusBiofilmBiologyMotilityFlagellumChemotaxisEscherichia coliMutantMicrobiologyBacterial adhesinWild typeMannoseOperonCell biologyBacteriaGeneticsGeneBiochemistryReceptor
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
Biofilm formation by <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> wild type, flagella and type IV pili mutants
Summary Biofilm formation by Gfp‐tagged Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 wild type, flagella and type IV pili mutants in flow chambers irrigated with citrate minimal medium was chara...
Steps in the development of a <i>Vibrio cholerae</i> El Tor biofilm
We report that, in a simple, static culture system, wild‐type Vibrio cholerae El Tor forms a three‐dimensional biofilm with characteristic water channels and pillars of bacteria...
Development and maturation of <i>Escherichia coli</i> K‐12 biofilms
Summary The development and maturation of E. coli biofilms in flow‐chambers was investigated. We found that the presence of transfer constitutive IncF plasmids induced biofilm d...
Exopolysaccharide Production Is Required for Development of <i>Escherichia coli</i> K-12 Biofilm Architecture
ABSTRACT Although exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are a large component of bacterial biofilms, their contribution to biofilm structure and function has been examined for only a few or...
Bap, a <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Surface Protein Involved in Biofilm Formation
ABSTRACT Identification of new genes involved in biofilm formation is needed to understand the molecular basis of strain variation and the pathogenic mechanisms implicated in ch...
Publication Info
- Year
- 1998
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 285-293
- Citations
- 1602
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
1602
OpenAlex
Cite This
Leslie A. Pratt,
Roberto Kolter
(1998).
Genetic analysis of <i>Escherichia coli</i> biofilm formation: roles of flagella, motility, chemotaxis and type I pili.
Molecular Microbiology
, 30
(2)
, 285-293.
https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2958.1998.01061.x
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1046/j.1365-2958.1998.01061.x