How a gooey slime helps bacteria survive

(University of Tsukuba) Researchers from the University of Tsukuba found that the bacterium C. perfringens modulates the structure of its biofilm at different temperatures by regulating the expression of the novel extracellular protein BsaA. They showed the number of BsaA-producing cells decreases when the temperature increases from 25 ° C to 37 ° C, and BsaA-producing cells cover non-BsaA-producing cells to provide tolerance to external stresses. These findings help us understand how bacteria adapt to their environment to survive.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news