Biofilm formation by Helicobacter pylori is differentially affected by common culture conditions and protein plays a central role in the biofilm matrix.

Biofilm formation by Helicobacter pylori is differentially affected by common culture conditions and protein plays a central role in the biofilm matrix. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2018 May 11;: Authors: Windham IH, Servetas SL, Whitmire JM, Pletzer D, Hancock REW, Merrell DS Abstract The concept of Helicobacter pylori biofilm formation is relatively new. To help provide a foundation for future biofilm studies, we characterized the biofilm formation ability of a common H. pylori lab strain, G27. The goal of this study was to evaluate biofilm formation by G27 in response to common culture conditions and to explore the biofilm matrix. Our results indicate that while growth in varies types of media did not dramatically effect biofilm formation, surface selection had a significant effect on final biofilm mass. Furthermore, enzymatic assays and confocal microscopy revealed that proteins appear to be the primary structural component of the H. pylori extracellular matrix; eDNA and polysaccharides were also present, but appear to play a secondary role. Finally, we found that two well-characterized anti-biofilm cationic peptides could affect early and late stage biofilms. Together these results provide interesting avenues for future investigations that will seek to understand H. pylori biofilm formation.Importance: The study of H. pylori biofilm formation is still in its infancy. As such, there is great variability in how biofilm assays are perfo...
Source: Applied and Environmental Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Appl Environ Microbiol Source Type: research