Open AccessSwarming of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 without differentiation into elongated hyperflagellates on hard agar minimal medium
Author(s) -
Takahashi Chihiro,
Nozawa Takashi,
Tanikawa Taichiro,
Nakagawa Yoji,
Wakita Junichi,
Matsushita Mitsugu,
Matsuyama Tohey
Publication year - 2008
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.1574-6968.2007.01057.x
Subject(s) - flagellum , pseudomonas aeruginosa , swarming (honey bee) , microbiology and biotechnology , pilus , agar , biology , agar plate , swarming motility , rhamnolipid , chocolate agar , biofilm , bacteria , escherichia coli , biochemistry , quorum sensing , genetics , gene
Polar flagellated Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 demonstrated extensive spreading growth in 2 days on 1.5% agar medium. Such spreading growth of P. aeruginosa PAO1 strains was absent on Luria–Bertani 1.5% agar medium, but remarkable on Davis minimal synthetic agar medium (especially that containing 0.8% sodium citrate and 1.5% Eiken agar) under aerobic 37 °C conditions. Analyses using isogenic mutants and complementation transformants showed that bacterial flagella and rhamnolipid contributed to the surface‐spreading behavior. On the other hand, a type IV pilus‐deficient pilA mutant did not lose the spreading growth activity. Flagella staining of PAO1 T cells from the frontal edge of a spreading colony showed unipolar and normal‐sized rods with one or two flagella. Thus, the polar flagellate P. aeruginosa PAO1 T appears to swarm on high‐agar medium by producing biosurfactant rhamnolipid and without differentiation into an elongated peritrichous hyperflagellate.