Vibrio cholerae biofilms use modular adhesins with glycan-targeting and nonspecific surface binding domains for colonization.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial biofilms are formed on environmental surfaces and host tissues, and facilitate host colonization and antibiotic resistance by human pathogens. Bacteria often express multiple adhesive proteins (adhesins), but it is often unclear whether adhesins have specialized or redundant roles. Here, we show how the model biofilm-forming organism Vibrio cholerae uses two adhesins with overlapping but distinct functions to achieve robust adhesion to diverse surfaces. Both biofilm-specific adhesins Bap1 and RbmC function as a "double-sided tape": they share a β-propeller domain that binds to the biofilm matrix exopolysaccharide, but have distinct environment-facing domains. Bap1 adheres to lipids and abiotic surfaces, while RbmC mainly mediates binding to host surfaces. Furthermore, both adhesi

SUBMITTER: Huang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10102183 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature