Multiscale X-ray study of Bacillus subtilis biofilms reveals interlinked structural hierarchy and elemental heterogeneity

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • David N. Azulay - , Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Autor:in)
  • Oliver Spaeker - , Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Autor:in)
  • Mnar Ghrayeb - , Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Autor:in)
  • Michaela Wilsch-Bräuninger - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Autor:in)
  • Ernesto Scoppola - , Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Autor:in)
  • Manfred Burghammer - , European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Autor:in)
  • Ivo Zizak - , Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy (Autor:in)
  • Luca Bertinetti - , Professur für Bioprospektion (Autor:in)
  • Yael Politi - , Professur für Bioprospektion (Autor:in)
  • Liraz Chai - , Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Autor:in)

Abstract

Biofilms are multicellular microbial communities that encase themselves in an extracellular matrix (ECM) of secreted biopolymers and attach to surfaces and interfaces. Bacterial biofilms are detrimental in hospital and industrial settings, but they can be beneficial, for example, in agricultural as well as in food technology contexts. An essential property of biofilms that grants them with increased survival relative to planktonic cells is phenotypic heterogeneity, the division of the biofilm population into functionally distinct subgroups of cells. Phenotypic heterogeneity in biofilms can be traced to the cellular level; however, the molecular structures and elemental distribution across whole biofilms, as well as possible linkages between them, remain unexplored. Mapping X-ray diffraction across intact biofilms in time and space, we revealed the dominant structural features in Bacillus subtilis biofilms, stemming from matrix components, spores, and water. By simultaneously following the X-ray fluorescence signal of biofilms and isolated matrix components, we discovered that the ECM preferentially binds calcium ions over other metal ions, specifically, zinc, manganese, and iron. These ions, remaining free to flow below macroscopic wrinkles that act as water channels, eventually accumulate and may possibly lead to sporulation. The possible link between ECM properties, regulation of metal ion distribution, and sporulation across whole, intact biofilms unravels the importance of molecular-level heterogeneity in shaping biofilm physiology and development.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummere2118107119
Seitenumfang8
FachzeitschriftProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America : PNAS
Jahrgang119
Ausgabenummer4
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 25 Jan. 2022
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

PubMed 35042817
unpaywall 10.1073/pnas.2118107119
WOS 000752058600010
Mendeley ac705449-a60c-31a2-8c56-d7df51241830
ORCID /0000-0002-4666-9610/work/142238926
ORCID /0000-0002-2872-8277/work/142239150

Schlagworte

Schlagwörter

  • biofilms, extracellular matrix, functional amyloid proteins, phenotypic heterogeneity, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)/wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS)