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Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases
Published on: January 1, 2016
Quorum sensing and DNA release in bacterial biofilms
Amy L Spoering1, Michael S Gilmore
1The Schepens Eye Research Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford St., Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Current Opinion in Microbiology
|March 15, 2006
Summary
Bacterial biofilms, crucial for coordinated behaviors like virulence and competence, are orchestrated by quorum sensing. DNA plays a surprisingly significant role in biofilm structure, with recent studies linking its release to quorum sensing.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacterial Physiology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Multicellular bacterial behaviors, including virulence and biofilm formation, are increasingly recognized.
- Quorum sensing (QS) is a key regulatory mechanism influencing these coordinated behaviors.
- Biofilm development is a complex, orchestrated process dependent on QS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the emerging understanding of bacterial biofilm formation.
- To investigate the role of DNA in biofilm structure and development.
- To elucidate the link between DNA release and quorum sensing in bacteria.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent studies on bacterial multicellularity and biofilms.
- Analysis of observations linking DNA release to quorum sensing mechanisms.
- Comparative examination of biofilm structures in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
Main Results:
- Biofilm formation is a QS-dependent, highly organized process.
- DNA has a significant, though previously underappreciated, role in biofilm structural integrity.
- A mechanism exists for coordinating DNA release with QS signaling.
Conclusions:
- Quorum sensing is central to the coordinated development of bacterial biofilms.
- The release and integration of DNA into biofilms are linked to QS, suggesting a novel regulatory pathway.
- The role of DNA in biofilm structure appears conserved across different bacterial types, warranting further investigation.
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