Colony-morphology screening uncovers a role for the Pseudomonas aeruginosa nitrogen-related phosphotransferase system in biofilm formation.

ABSTRACT: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen whose survival is aided by forming communities known as biofilms, in which cells are encased in a self-produced matrix. We devised a mutant screen based on colony morphology to identify additional genes with previously unappreciated roles in biofilm formation. Our screen, which identified most known biofilm-related genes, also uncovered PA14_16550 and PA14_69700, deletions of which abrogated and augmented biofilm formation respectively. We also identified ptsP, which encodes enzyme I of the nitrogen-regulated phosphotransferase (PTS(Ntr)) system, as being important for cyclic-di-GMP production and for biofilm formation. Further experiments showed that biofilm formation is hindered in the absence of phosphotransfer through the PTS(Nt

SUBMITTER: Cabeen MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5130288 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature