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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Methodologies for Studying B. subtilis Biofilms as a Model for Characterizing Small Molecule Biofilm Inhibitors
Published on: October 9, 2016
A molecular clutch disables flagella in the Bacillus subtilis biofilm
Kris M Blair1, Linda Turner, Jared T Winkelman
1Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
Abstract:
Biofilms are multicellular aggregates of sessile bacteria encased by an extracellular matrix and are important medically as a source of drug-resistant microbes. In Bacillus subtilis, we found that an operon required for biofilm matrix biosynthesis also encoded an inhibitor of motility, EpsE. EpsE arrested flagellar rotation in a manner similar to that of a clutch, by disengaging motor force-generating elements in cells embedded in the biofilm matrix. The clutch is a simple, rapid, and potentially reversible form of motility control.
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