Phenazines Regulate Nap-Dependent Denitrification in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms.

ABSTRACT: Microbes in biofilms face the challenge of substrate limitation. In particular, oxygen often becomes limited for cells in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms growing in the laboratory or during host colonization. Previously we found that phenazines, antibiotics produced by P. aeruginosa, balance the intracellular redox state of cells in biofilms. Here, we show that genes involved in denitrification are induced in phenazine-null (Δphz) mutant biofilms grown under an aerobic atmosphere, even in the absence of nitrate. This finding suggests that resident cells employ a bet-hedging strategy to anticipate the potential availability of nitrate and counterbalance their highly reduced redox state. Consistent with our previous characterization of aerobically grown colonies suppleme

SUBMITTER: Lin YC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5892114 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature