Attachment Stimulates Exopolysaccharide Synthesis by a Bacterium
AUTOR(ES)
Vandevivere, Philippe
RESUMO
This study examined the hypothesis that solid surfaces may stimulate attached bacteria to produce exopolymers. Addition of sand to shake-flask cultures seemed to induce exopolymer synthesis by a number of subsurface isolates, as revealed by optical microscopy. Several additional lines of evidence indicated that exopolymer production by attached cells (in continuous-flow sand-packed columns) was greater than by their free-living counterparts. Total carbohydrates and extracellular polysaccharides, both normalized to cell protein, were greater (2.5- and 5-fold, respectively) for attached cells than for free-living cells. Also, adsorption of a polyanion-binding dye to the exopolymer fraction was sixfold greater for attached cells than for unattached cells. When surface-grown cells were resuspended in fresh medium, exopolymer production decreased to the level characteristic of unattached cells, which ruled out the possibility that attached cells comprised a subpopulation of sticky mucoid variants. The mechanism by which attachment stimulated exopolymer synthesis did not involve changes of the specific growth rate, growth stage, or limiting nutrient.
ACESSO AO ARTIGO
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=182449Documentos Relacionados
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