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Updated: May 16, 2026

Adherence of Bacteria to Plant Surfaces Measured in the Laboratory
Published on: June 19, 2018
[Factors affecting adhesion of Cytophaga hutchinsonii to cellulose]
Ning Chen1, Yuanxi Xu, Hui Wang
1State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China. cn4036@126.com
Objective:
The aim of the study was to understand the mechanism of Cytophaga hutchinsonii adhension to cellulose.
Methods:
The effects of different factors on the bacterial adhesion to cellulose were studied, including bacterial age, pH, temperature, cell surface charge, cell viability, cell surface protein, extracellular polysaccharides, and cellulose derivates.
Results:
Treatments with heat and protease reduced the adhesion remarkably. But treatments with NaN3, formalin, glutaraldehyde, Congo red and NaIO4 had only slight effect on the adhesion. The adhension of Cytophaga hutchinsonii cells to microcrystalline cellulose was specific and not inhibited by cellobiose or carboxymethyl cellulose.
Conclusion:
The adhesion of Cytophaga hutchinsonii to cellulose was closely related to cell surface proteins, while cellular metabolic activity and extracellular polysaccharides had only slight effect on it. It is speculated that there might be some specific cellulose binding proteins on the cell surface.
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