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Polysaccharide metabolism regulates structural colour in bacterial colonies
Gea T van de Kerkhof1, Lukas Schertel1, Laura Catòn1,2
1Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|May 25, 2022
Summary
Nutrients like fucoidans alter the cell organization in structurally colored bacteria. This discovery links bacterial polysaccharide metabolism to the development of vibrant structural colors.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Microbiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Structural coloration in nature arises from nanoscale material structures.
- Bacterial colonies can exhibit structural colors due to periodic cell organization.
- Biochemical pathways regulating bacterial structural color remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of nutrients on cell organization in structurally colored bacteria.
- To elucidate the biochemical mechanisms behind nutrient-mediated structural color development.
- To identify genetic elements regulating cell ordering in *Flavobacterium* strain IR1.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of optical properties of bacterial colonies grown with and without specific polysaccharides.
- Comparative study of wild-type and mutant strains under various nutrient conditions.
- Genomic analysis to identify relevant genetic loci.
Main Results:
- The ordered cell organization in *Flavobacterium* strain IR1 colonies is modulated by the presence of fucoidans.
- A specific chromosomal region in strain IR1 regulates cell ordering.
- This region contains a polysaccharide utilization locus (PUL operon) potentially specific to fucoidan.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial polysaccharide metabolism is a key factor in regulating structural color.
- The identified PUL operon provides insight into the biochemical pathways controlling structural color in bacteria.
- This research opens new avenues for understanding and potentially engineering bacterial structural coloration.
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