Open AccessInteractions of bacteria with different mechanisms for chitin degradation result in the formation of a mixed‐species biofilm
Author(s) -
Jagmann Nina,
von Rekowski Katharina Styp,
Philipp Bodo
Publication year - 2012
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.1574-6968.2011.02435.x
Subject(s) - chitin , biofilm , bacteria , strain (injury) , microbiology and biotechnology , flavobacterium , chemistry , chitinase , enzyme , polysaccharide , biology , biochemistry , pseudomonas , chitosan , anatomy , genetics
In this study, interactions between bacteria possessing either released or cell‐associated enzymes for polymer degradation were investigated. For this, a co‐culture of A eromonas hydrophila strain AH ‐1 N as an enzyme‐releasing bacterium and of F lavobacterium sp. strain 4 D 9 as a bacterium with cell‐associated enzymes was set up with chitin embedded into agarose beads to account for natural conditions, under which polymers are usually embedded in organic aggregates. In single cultures, strain AH ‐1 N grew with embedded chitin, while strain 4 D 9 did not. In co‐cultures, strain 4 D 9 grew and outcompeted strain AH ‐1 N in the biofilm fraction. Experiments with cell‐free culture supernatants containing the chitinolytic enzymes of strain AH ‐1 N revealed that growth of strain 4 D 9 in the co‐culture was based on intercepting N ‐acetylglucosamine from chitin degradation. For this, strain 4 D 9 had to actively integrate into the biofilm of strain AH ‐1 N . This study shows that bacteria using different chitin degradation mechanisms can coexist by formation of a mixed‐species biofilm.