Graphene is a potential candidate for applications in biomedical field. It is inevitable that graphene is in contact with the ubiquitous bacterial environment. More attention has been paid to the antimicrobial activity of graphene derivatives (graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide) than the interaction between graphene and bacteria. Herein, we explore interaction between graphene micron-sheet and bacteria from micro (gene expression) and macro (colonies) perspectives. Results demonstrate that graphene micron-sheet accelerates the biofilm forming thus promoting pathogen expansion toward both Gram-negative bacteria E. coli and Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus. The graphene micron-sheet acts as a “habitat” for increasing bacterial attachment and biofilm forming. For E. coli, graphene micron-sheet, firstly changes the integrity of periplasmic and outer membrane components, then makes membrane-associated and cell division genes increased, and finally promotes bacterial proliferation; For S. aureus, graphene micron-sheet can accelerate biofilm forming and develop bacterial expansion owing to the regulation of the quorum-sensing system and global regulatory proteins. The work can shed new light on the range of possible mode of actions, developing a better understanding of the capabilities of graphene micron-structures.

石墨烯是在生物医学领域中应用的潜在候选者。石墨烯不可避免地与普遍存在的细菌环境接触。与石墨烯和细菌之间的相互作用相比，人们对石墨烯衍生物（氧化石墨烯，还原的氧化石墨烯）的抗菌活性给予了更多关注。本文中，我们从微观（基因表达）和宏观（殖民地）角度探讨了石墨烯微米片与细菌之间的相互作用。结果表明，石墨烯微米片加速生物膜形成，从而促进病原体向革兰氏阴性细菌大肠杆菌和革兰氏阳性细菌金黄色葡萄球菌扩展。石墨烯微米片充当增加细菌附着和生物膜形成的“栖息地”。对于大肠杆菌石墨烯微米片首先改变周质和外膜成分的完整性，然后使膜相关基因和细胞分裂基因增加，最后促进细菌增殖。对于金黄色葡萄球菌，由于群体感应系统和全局调节蛋白的调节，石墨烯微米片可以加速生物膜形成并发展细菌膨胀。这项工作可以为可能的作用方式提供新的思路，从而更好地理解石墨烯微米结构的功能。