Abstract
Successful colonization is the initial step for plant-bacteria interactions; therefore, the development of strategies to improve adherence to plant surfaces is critically important for environmental bacteria. Biofilm formation is thought to be one such strategy for bacteria to establish stable colonization on inert and living surfaces. Although biofilms play potential roles in enabling persistent bacterial colonization, little attention has been paid to biofilms formed by plant-associated bacteria. In this study, we characterized the biofilm-forming ability of 6 species of bacteria from the family Pseudomonadaceae: Pseudomonas protegens, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Pseudomonas mendocina, and Pseudomonas syringae. These strains exhibit different degrees of biofilm formation depending on incubation time and nutrient availability. Distinct preferences for growth media were observed, as biofilms were formed by P. protegens with rich nutrients and by P. fluorescens and P. putida with poor nutrients. Likewise, P. stutzeri did not form biofilms with rich nutrients but did form biofilms under nutrient-poor conditions. These observations indicate that particular components in media may influence biofilm formation. P. putida, one of the strains with high biofilm-forming ability, showed the highest ability for initial attachment, which may be mediated by the hydrophobicity of its cell surface. P. mendocina also has high ability for initial attachment, and this strain produces cell surface-attached extracellular polysaccharides that promote cell aggregation. Thus, each strain possesses different properties that facilitate biofilm formation. Shedding light on bacterial strategies for colonization via biofilm formation would enable a better understanding of plant–bacteria interactions.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Professors George A. O’Toole (P. protegens Pf-5, P. fluorescens Pf0-1), Juan Ruis Ramos (P. putida KT2440), Steven Lindow (P. syringae B728a) for kindly providing the strains. We are also grateful to NBRC (P. mendocina NBRC 14162) and Pasteur Institute (P. stutzeri A1501) for distributing the strains. This research was supported in part by the grants from Takano Life Science Research Foundation and the Institute for Fermentation, Osaka.
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Ueda, A., Saneoka, H. Characterization of the Ability to Form Biofilms by Plant-Associated Pseudomonas Species. Curr Microbiol 70, 506–513 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-014-0749-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-014-0749-7