Open AccessThe relationship between glycogen synthesis, biofilm formation and virulence in Salmonella enteritidis
Author(s) -
Bonafonte M.Angeles,
Solano Cristina,
Sesma Begoña,
Alvarez Miguel,
Montuenga Luis,
GarcíaRos David,
Gamazo Carlos
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2000.tb09315.x
Subject(s) - glycogen , virulence , salmonella enteritidis , biofilm , microbiology and biotechnology , cytoplasm , glycogen synthase , salmonella , biology , polysaccharide , intracellular , biochemistry , chemistry , bacteria , genetics , gene
Salmonella enteritidis accumulated large quantities of intracellular polysaccharide when grown in unrestricted nutrient conditions. Dense, abundant cytoplasmic granules were observed by electron microscopy in sections stained by the periodic acid‐chlorite technique, indicating that the polysaccharide was of the glycogen type. When biofilm‐producing S. enteritidis was pre‐incubated in media containing increasing levels of glucose concentration, the levels of both cytoplasmic glycogen and biofilm rose correlatively to a point where a ceiling effect was observed. Studies carried out with activators and inhibitors of glycogen biosynthesis confirmed that biofilm was formed from glycogen cell stores. On the other hand, the virulence of the biofilm‐producing strain in infected chickens increased proportionally to the amount of stored glycogen, suggesting a possible role of the glycogen depot in the virulence of S. enteritidis .