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Updated: Jul 20, 2025

Co-culture Models of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms Grown on Live Human Airway Cells
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Co-culture Models of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms Grown on Live Human Airway Cells

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Pseudomonas aeruginosa type IV pili actively induce mucus contraction to form biofilms in tissue-engineered human

Tamara Rossy1,2, Tania Distler1,2, Lucas A Meirelles1,2

  • 1Global Health Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.

Plos Biology
|August 1, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Pseudomonas aeruginosa forms biofilms in the lungs by contracting mucus with type IV pili. This mucus contraction aids bacterial aggregation, leading to rapid biofilm development in airway infections.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes difficult-to-treat pneumonia by forming biofilms in the respiratory tract.
  • Understanding P. aeruginosa biofilm formation at the airway mucosa is crucial but remains unresolved.
  • Existing in vitro models do not fully replicate the complex airway mucosal environment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate P. aeruginosa biofilm formation under realistic airway mucosal conditions.
  • To elucidate the role of mucus in P. aeruginosa biofilm development.
  • To explore the mechanisms by which P. aeruginosa interacts with airway mucus.

Main Methods:

  • Development of AirGels: 3D, optically accessible, tissue-engineered human lung models.
  • AirGels emulate airway mucosal environment: mucus secretion, flow, and air-liquid interface (ALI).
  • High-resolution live microscopy to observe P. aeruginosa-mucus interactions.

Main Results:

  • P. aeruginosa rapidly forms mucus-associated biofilms within hours.
  • Biofilm formation is initiated by the contraction of luminal mucus.
  • P. aeruginosa actively contracts mucus using type IV pili, facilitating bacterial aggregation and biofilm nucleation.

Conclusions:

  • Mucus, while protective, serves as a crucial niche for P. aeruginosa biofilm formation.
  • Type IV pili-mediated mucus contraction is a key mechanism in early biofilm development.
  • AirGels provide a valuable model for studying host-pathogen interactions in the airway.

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