Nitric oxide promotes rapid development of motility to accelerate biofilm dispersal in <i><i>Vibrio cholerae</i></i>.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial biofilms are resilient multicellular communities that underlie persistent infections and environmental survival. Dispersal from biofilms is a pivotal event for transmission and pathogenesis, yet the host signals and bacterial mechanisms orchestrating this transition remain poorly understood. Here, we show that nitric oxide (NO), a ubiquitous host-derived signaling molecule, acts as a rapid trigger for biofilm dispersal in Vibrio cholerae, a highly motile gram-negative bacterium and the etiologic agent of cholera, by promoting the development of motility. NO exposure induces broad upregulation of flagellar biosynthesis genes, increases flagellin production, and reduces intracellular cyclic-di-GMP levels, thereby priming aflagellated biofilm-associated cells for activ

SUBMITTER: Esteves NC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12704800 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature