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Bacillus subtilis biofilms characterized as hydrogels. Insights on water uptake and water binding in biofilms.
Soft Matter ( IF 2.9 ) Pub Date : 2020-06-09 , DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00581a
Nir Ido 1 , Amir Lybman 1 , Shahar Hayet 2 , David N Azulay 2 , Mnar Ghrayeb 2 , Sajeda Liddawieh 2 , Liraz Chai 2
Affiliation  

Biofilms are aggregates of cells that form on surfaces or at the air–water interface. Cells in a biofilm are encased in a self-secreted extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides them with mechanical stability and protects them from antibiotic treatment. From a soft matter perspective, biofilms are regarded as colloidal hydrogels, with the cells playing the role of colloids and the ECM compared with a cross-linked hydrogel. Here, we examined whole biofilms of the soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis utilizing methods that are commonly used to characterize hydrogels in order to evaluate the uptake of water and the water properties in the biofilms. Specifically, we studied wild-type as well ECM mutants, lacking the protein TasA and the exopolysaccharide (EPS). We characterized the morphology and mesh size of biofilms using electron microscopy, studied the state of water in the biofilms using differential scanning calorimetry, and finally, we tested the biofilms' swelling properties. Our study revealed that Bacillus subtilis biofilms resemble cross-linked hydrogels in their morphology and swelling properties. Strikingly, we discovered that all the water in biofilms was bound water and there was no free water in the biofilms. Water binding was mostly related with the presence of solutes and much less so with the major ECM components, the protein TasA and the polysaccharide EPS. This study sheds light on water uptake and water binding in biofilms and it is therefore important for the understanding of solute transport and enzymatic function inside biofilms.

中文翻译:

枯草芽孢杆菌生物膜表征为水凝胶。关于生物膜中水分吸收和水结合的见解。

生物膜是在表面或空气-水界面形成的细胞聚集体。生物膜中的细胞被包裹在自我分泌的细胞外基质(ECM)中,该基质为它们提供了机械稳定性,并保护它们免受抗生素治疗。从软物质的角度来看,生物膜被视为胶体水凝胶,与交联的水凝胶相比,细胞起着胶体和ECM的作用。在这里,我们检查了土壤细菌枯草芽孢杆菌的整个生物膜利用通常用于表征水凝胶的方法,以评估水的吸收和生物膜中的水性质。具体来说,我们研究了野生型以及ECM突变体,它们缺少TasA蛋白和胞外多糖(EPS)。我们使用电子显微镜表征了生物膜的形态和网眼大小,使用差示扫描量热法研究了生物膜中水的状态,最后测试了生物膜的溶胀性能。我们的研究表明枯草芽孢杆菌生物膜的形态和溶胀特性类似于交联的水凝胶。令人惊讶的是,我们发现生物膜中的所有水都是结合水,生物膜中没有游离水。水结合主要与溶质的存在有关,而与主要ECM成分,蛋白质TasA和多糖EPS无关。这项研究揭示了生物膜中的水分吸收和水结合,因此对于理解生物膜内部的溶质运输和酶功能非常重要。
更新日期:2020-07-08
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