Biofilm formation

Biofilms are the result of the multicellular lifestyle of B. subtilis. They are characterized by the formation of a matrix polysaccharide and an amyloid-like protein, TasA. Correction of sfp, epsC, swrAA, and degQ as well as introduction of rapP from a plasmid present in NCIB3610 results in biofilm formation in B. subtilis 168 PubMed.

Parent categories	4. Lifestyles 4.1. Exponential and early post-exponential lifestyles
Neighbouring categories	4.1.1. Motility and chemotaxis 4.1.2. Biofilm formation 4.1.3. Genetic competence
Related categories	SinR regulon
Overview on the categories (Excel file) All genes and their categories (Excel file)

Labs working on biofilm formation

• Daniel Kearns
• Roberto Kolter
• Akos T Kovacs
• Oscar Kuipers
• Beth Lazazzera
• Richard Losick
• Nicola Stanley-Wall
• Jörg Stülke

Key genes and operons involved in biofilm formation

• matrix polysaccharide synthesis:
  • epsA-epsB-epsC-epsD-epsE-epsF-epsG-epsH-epsI-epsJ-epsK-epsL-epsM-epsN-epsO
  • galE
• amyloid protein synthesis, secretion and assembly
  • tapA-sipW-tasA
• repellent surface layer
  • bslA
• regulation
  • SlrR
  • SlrA
  • SinR
  • SinI
  • KinC
  • KinD
  • Spo0A
  • PtkA
  • TkmA
  • PtpZ
  • DegU
  • DegQ
  • YmdB
  • FtsH
  • Veg
  • MstX
  • YugO

• biofilm disassembly (D-amino acids produced by RacX and YlmE and norspermidine produced by GabT and YaaO act together in preventing biofilm formation and triggering biofilm disassembly PubMed)
  • RacX
  • YlmE

• other proteins required for biofilm formation
  • AmpS
  • FloT
  • LuxS
  • RemA
  • RemB
  • Rny
  • Sfp/1
  • Sfp/2
  • SpeA
  • SpeD
  • SwrAA
  • YisP
  • YlbF
  • YmcA
  • YvcA
  • YwcC
  • YxaB

Important original publications

Thomas M Norman, Nathan D Lord, Johan Paulsson, Richard Losick
Memory and modularity in cell-fate decision making.
Nature: 2013, 503(7477);481-486
[PubMed:24256735] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Fernando Gómez-Aguado, María Teresa Corcuera, María Luisa Gómez-Lus, María Antonia de la Parte, Carmen Ramos, César García-Rey, María José Alonso, José Prieto
Histological approach to Bacillus subtilis colony-biofilm: evolving internal architecture and sporulation dynamics.
Histol Histopathol: 2013, 28(10);1351-60
[PubMed:23645570] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Iztok Dogsa, Mojca Brloznik, David Stopar, Ines Mandic-Mulec
Exopolymer diversity and the role of levan in Bacillus subtilis biofilms.
PLoS One: 2013, 8(4);e62044
[PubMed:23637960] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I e)

Pascale B Beauregard, Yunrong Chai, Hera Vlamakis, Richard Losick, Roberto Kolter
Bacillus subtilis biofilm induction by plant polysaccharides.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A: 2013, 110(17);E1621-30
[PubMed:23569226] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Moshe Shemesh, Yunrong Chai
A combination of glycerol and manganese promotes biofilm formation in Bacillus subtilis via histidine kinase KinD signaling.
J Bacteriol: 2013, 195(12);2747-54
[PubMed:23564171] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

A Bridier, T Meylheuc, R Briandet
Realistic representation of Bacillus subtilis biofilms architecture using combined microscopy (CLSM, ESEM and FESEM).
Micron: 2013, 48;65-9
[PubMed:23517761] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Thomas Böttcher, Ilana Kolodkin-Gal, Roberto Kolter, Richard Losick, Jon Clardy
Synthesis and activity of biomimetic biofilm disruptors.
J Am Chem Soc: 2013, 135(8);2927-30
[PubMed:23406351] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Miguel Trejo, Carine Douarche, Virginie Bailleux, Christophe Poulard, Sandrine Mariot, Christophe Regeard, Eric Raspaud
Elasticity and wrinkled morphology of Bacillus subtilis pellicles.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A: 2013, 110(6);2011-6
[PubMed:23341623] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

James N Wilking, Vasily Zaburdaev, Michael De Volder, Richard Losick, Michael P Brenner, David A Weitz
Liquid transport facilitated by channels in Bacillus subtilis biofilms.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A: 2013, 110(3);848-52
[PubMed:23271809] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Munehiro Asally, Mark Kittisopikul, Pau Rué, Yingjie Du, Zhenxing Hu, Tolga Çağatay, Andra B Robinson, Hongbing Lu, Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo, Gürol M Süel
Localized cell death focuses mechanical forces during 3D patterning in a biofilm.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A: 2012, 109(46);18891-6
[PubMed:23012477] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Yun Chen, Fang Yan, Yunrong Chai, Hongxia Liu, Roberto Kolter, Richard Losick, Jian-Hua Guo
Biocontrol of tomato wilt disease by Bacillus subtilis isolates from natural environments depends on conserved genes mediating biofilm formation.
Environ Microbiol: 2013, 15(3);848-864
[PubMed:22934631] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Juan C Garcia-Betancur, Ana Yepes, Johannes Schneider, Daniel Lopez
Single-cell analysis of Bacillus subtilis biofilms using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry.
J Vis Exp: 2012, (60);
[PubMed:22371091] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I e)

Agnese Seminara, Thomas E Angelini, James N Wilking, Hera Vlamakis, Senan Ebrahim, Roberto Kolter, David A Weitz, Michael P Brenner
Osmotic spreading of Bacillus subtilis biofilms driven by an extracellular matrix.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A: 2012, 109(4);1116-21
[PubMed:22232655] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Anna L McLoon, Sarah B Guttenplan, Daniel B Kearns, Roberto Kolter, Richard Losick
Tracing the domestication of a biofilm-forming bacterium.
J Bacteriol: 2011, 193(8);2027-34
[PubMed:21278284] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Arnaud Bridier, Dominique Le Coq, Florence Dubois-Brissonnet, Vincent Thomas, Stéphane Aymerich, Romain Briandet
The spatial architecture of Bacillus subtilis biofilms deciphered using a surface-associated model and in situ imaging.
PLoS One: 2011, 6(1);e16177
[PubMed:21267464] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I e)

Nicola R Stanley, Beth A Lazazzera
Defining the genetic differences between wild and domestic strains of Bacillus subtilis that affect poly-gamma-dl-glutamic acid production and biofilm formation.
Mol Microbiol: 2005, 57(4);1143-58
[PubMed:16091050] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Key reviews

Dennis Claessen, Daniel E Rozen, Oscar P Kuipers, Lotte Søgaard-Andersen, Gilles P van Wezel
Bacterial solutions to multicellularity: a tale of biofilms, filaments and fruiting bodies.
Nat Rev Microbiol: 2014, 12(2);115-24
[PubMed:24384602] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Robert Belas
When the swimming gets tough, the tough form a biofilm.
Mol Microbiol: 2013, 90(1);1-5
[PubMed:23927648] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Diego Romero
Bacterial determinants of the social behavior of Bacillus subtilis.
Res Microbiol: 2013, 164(7);788-98
[PubMed:23791621] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Hera Vlamakis, Yunrong Chai, Pascale Beauregard, Richard Losick, Roberto Kolter
Sticking together: building a biofilm the Bacillus subtilis way.
Nat Rev Microbiol: 2013, 11(3);157-68
[PubMed:23353768] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Elizabeth Anne Shank, Roberto Kolter
Extracellular signaling and multicellularity in Bacillus subtilis.
Curr Opin Microbiol: 2011, 14(6);741-7
[PubMed:22024380] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Adam Driks
Tapping into the biofilm: insights into assembly and disassembly of a novel amyloid fibre in Bacillus subtilis.
Mol Microbiol: 2011, 80(5);1133-6
[PubMed:21488983] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Tjakko Abee, Akos T Kovács, Oscar P Kuipers, Stijn van der Veen
Biofilm formation and dispersal in Gram-positive bacteria.
Curr Opin Biotechnol: 2011, 22(2);172-9
[PubMed:21109420] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Roberto Kolter
Biofilms in lab and nature: a molecular geneticist's voyage to microbial ecology.
Int Microbiol: 2010, 13(1);1-7
[PubMed:20890834] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Massimiliano Marvasi, Pieter T Visscher, Lilliam Casillas Martinez
Exopolymeric substances (EPS) from Bacillus subtilis: polymers and genes encoding their synthesis.
FEMS Microbiol Lett: 2010, 313(1);1-9
[PubMed:20735481] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Daniel López, Hera Vlamakis, Roberto Kolter
Biofilms.
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol: 2010, 2(7);a000398
[PubMed:20519345] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Daniel Lopez, Hera Vlamakis, Roberto Kolter
Generation of multiple cell types in Bacillus subtilis.
FEMS Microbiol Rev: 2009, 33(1);152-63
[PubMed:19054118] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Hera Vlamakis, Claudio Aguilar, Richard Losick, Roberto Kolter
Control of cell fate by the formation of an architecturally complex bacterial community.
Genes Dev: 2008, 22(7);945-53
[PubMed:18381896] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Wolf-Rainer Abraham
Controlling biofilms of gram-positive pathogenic bacteria.
Curr Med Chem: 2006, 13(13);1509-24
[PubMed:16787201] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

J A Shapiro
Thinking about bacterial populations as multicellular organisms.
Annu Rev Microbiol: 1998, 52;81-104
[PubMed:9891794] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)