Bacterial Extracellular Polysaccharides in Biofilm Formation and Function

By D. Limoli, Christopher J Jones, D. Wozniak. Microbiology spectrum, 2015

783 citations recorded by the source corpus.

ABSTRACT Microbes produce a biofilm matrix consisting of proteins, extracellular DNA, and polysaccharides that is integral in the formation of bacterial communities. Historical studies of polysaccharides revealed that their overproduction often alters the colony morphology and can be diagnostic in identifying certain species. The polysaccharide component of the matrix can provide many diverse benefits to the cells in the biofilm, including adhesion, protection, and structure. Aggregative polysaccharides act as molecular glue, allowing the bacterial cells to adhere to each other as well as surfaces. Adhesion facilitates the colonization of both biotic and abiotic surfaces by allowing the bacteria to resist physical stresses imposed by fluid movement that could separate the cells from a nutrient source. Polysaccharides can also provide protection from a wide range of stresses, such as desiccation, immune effectors, and predators such as phagocytic cells and amoebae. Finally, polysaccharides can provide structure to biofilms, allowing stratification of the bacterial community and establishing gradients of nutrients and waste products. This can be advantageous for the bacteria by establishing a heterogeneous population that is prepared to endure stresses created by the rapidly changing environments that many bacteria encounter. The diverse range of polysaccharide structures, properties, and roles highlight the importance of this matrix constituent to the successful adaptation of bacteria to nearly every niche. Here, we present an overview of the current knowledge regarding the diversity and benefits that polysaccharide production provides to bacterial communities within biofilms.

Subfields: Ecology, Molecular Biology, Periodontics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/47115c8191cda556cee4f40084bdf8c440b3f488

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Citations in the corpus

Biofilms: The Microbial “Protective Clothing” in Extreme Environments (2019, background): “[38,39]; (III) Development: the multilayered cells are accumulated by proliferation, and EPS are produced and secreted [32,40]; (IV) Maturation: stable formation of a three-dimensional community that contains channels to effectively distribute nutrients and signaling molecules within the biofilm [41”
Microbial Biofilm: A Review on Formation, Infection, Antibiotic Resistance, Control Measures, and Innovative Treatment (2023, positive): “The hydroxyl groups on the polysaccharide increase mechanical strength by interacting with each other [10,11].”
Complex role of the polymeric matrix in biological soil crusts (2018, background): “…of EPM is present on a wide array of studies on microbial biofilms, although not thoroughly stressed, and addressed with slightly different terms, including extracellular polymeric substance matrix (Battiston et al. 2015; Fish et al. 2016; Gu et al. 2017) and biofilm matrix (Limoli et al. 2015).”
Microbial biofilm: formation, architecture, antibiotic resistance, and control strategies (2021, background): “The role of the polysaccharides is to act as a molecular glue required for bacterial adhesion to each other and to biotic and abiotic surfaces for colonization besides playing a protective role against the immune system, and other external stresses [39].”