Biofilm formation by the Gram-positive soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis
Event details
| Date | 07.05.2019 |
| Hour | 12:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Nicola Stanley-Wall, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, UK |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Biofilms formed by the Gram-positive soil-dwelling bacterium Bacillus subtilis manifest as architecturally complex, hydrophobic communities on an air-agar interface. Both the structure and the hydrophobicity of the biofilm are the consequence of the cells producing a protective extracellular matrix. The B. subtilis biofilm matrix comprises fibres formed by the secreted protein TasA, an extracellular polysaccharide, and a secreted protein BslA. Together the matrix components surround and protect the resident cells from environmental stress. I will overview the remarkable properties of the proteins in the biofilm matrix that have been uncovered through a cross discipline collaboration. For example we have found that BslA is a bifunctional protein with roles in both biofilm hydrophobicity and structuring. I will move on to highlight the identification of growth arrest as a distinct stage of biofilm formation and talk about an new role for a molecule called pulcherrimin in stopping expansion of the biofilm.
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Alexandre Persat