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Cyclic diguanylate regulation of Bacillus cereus group biofilm formation
Author(s) -
Fagerlund Annette,
Smith Veronika,
Røhr Åsmund K.,
Lindbäck Toril,
Parmer Marthe P.,
Andersson K. Kristoffer,
Reubsaet Leon,
Økstad Ole Andreas
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/mmi.13405
Subject(s) - biofilm , bacillus cereus , bacillus subtilis , biology , cereus , virulence , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , bacillus anthracis , bacillus thuringiensis , motility , swarming motility , operon , gene , genetics , quorum sensing , escherichia coli
Summary Biofilm formation can be considered a bacterial virulence mechanism. In a range of Gram‐negatives, increased levels of the second messenger cyclic diguanylate (c‐di‐GMP) promotes biofilm formation and reduces motility. Other bacterial processes known to be regulated by c‐di‐GMP include cell division, differentiation and virulence. Among Gram‐positive bacteria, where the function of c‐di‐GMP signalling is less well characterized, c‐di‐GMP was reported to regulate swarming motility in Bacillus subtilis while having very limited or no effect on biofilm formation. In contrast, we show that in the Bacillus cereus group c‐di‐GMP signalling is linked to biofilm formation, and to several other phenotypes important to the lifestyle of these bacteria. The Bacillus thuringiensis 407 genome encodes eleven predicted proteins containing domains (GGDEF/EAL) related to c‐di‐GMP synthesis or breakdown, ten of which are conserved through the majority of clades of the B. cereus group, including Bacillus anthracis . Several of the genes were shown to affect biofilm formation, motility, enterotoxin synthesis and/or sporulation. Among these, cdgF appeared to encode a master diguanylate cyclase essential for biofilm formation in an oxygenated environment. Only two cdg genes ( cdgA, cdgJ ) had orthologs in B. subtilis , highlighting differences in c‐di‐GMP signalling between B. subtilis and B. cereus group bacteria.