Surfactin accelerates Bacillus subtilis pellicle biofilm development
Surfactin is a biosurfactant produced by many B. subtilis strains with a wide variety of functions from lowering surface tension to allowing motility of bacterial swarms, acting as a signaling molecule, and even exhibiting antimicrobial activities. However, the impact of surfactin during biofilm for...
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Biofilm |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590207524000741 |
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| author | Rune Overlund Stannius Sarah Fusco Michael S. Cowled Ákos T. Kovács |
| author_facet | Rune Overlund Stannius Sarah Fusco Michael S. Cowled Ákos T. Kovács |
| author_sort | Rune Overlund Stannius |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Surfactin is a biosurfactant produced by many B. subtilis strains with a wide variety of functions from lowering surface tension to allowing motility of bacterial swarms, acting as a signaling molecule, and even exhibiting antimicrobial activities. However, the impact of surfactin during biofilm formation has been debated with variable findings between studies depending on the experimental conditions.B. subtilis is known to form biofilms at the solid-air, the solid-medium, and the liquid-air interfaces, the latter of which is known as a pellicle biofilm. Pellicle formation is a complex process requiring coordinated movement to the liquid-air interface and subsequent cooperative production of biofilm matrix components to allow robust pellicle biofilm formation. This makes pellicle formation a promising model system for assaying factors in biofilm formation and regulation.Here, we assayed the influence of surfactin and additional metabolites on the timing of pellicle biofilm formation. Using time-lapse imaging, we assayed pellicle formation timing in 12 B. subtilis isolates and found that one, MB9_B4, was significantly delayed in pellicle formation by approximately 10 h. MB9_B4 was previously noted to lack robust surfactin production. Indeed, deletion of surfactin synthesis in the other isolates delayed pellicle formation. Further, pellicle delay was rescued by addition of exogeneous surfactin. Testing reporters of biofilm-related gene expression revealed that induction of pellicle formation was caused by a combination of increased gene expression of one of the biofilm components and promotion of growth. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f00d8ea9f0484a9a90a391d647cd2fb7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2590-2075 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biofilm |
| spelling | doaj-art-f00d8ea9f0484a9a90a391d647cd2fb72025-01-04T04:57:01ZengElsevierBiofilm2590-20752025-06-019100249Surfactin accelerates Bacillus subtilis pellicle biofilm developmentRune Overlund Stannius0Sarah Fusco1Michael S. Cowled2Ákos T. Kovács3DTU Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark; Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, 2333, BE, Leiden, NetherlandsDTU Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, DenmarkDTU Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, DenmarkDTU Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark; Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, 2333, BE, Leiden, Netherlands; Corresponding author. DTU Bioengineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.Surfactin is a biosurfactant produced by many B. subtilis strains with a wide variety of functions from lowering surface tension to allowing motility of bacterial swarms, acting as a signaling molecule, and even exhibiting antimicrobial activities. However, the impact of surfactin during biofilm formation has been debated with variable findings between studies depending on the experimental conditions.B. subtilis is known to form biofilms at the solid-air, the solid-medium, and the liquid-air interfaces, the latter of which is known as a pellicle biofilm. Pellicle formation is a complex process requiring coordinated movement to the liquid-air interface and subsequent cooperative production of biofilm matrix components to allow robust pellicle biofilm formation. This makes pellicle formation a promising model system for assaying factors in biofilm formation and regulation.Here, we assayed the influence of surfactin and additional metabolites on the timing of pellicle biofilm formation. Using time-lapse imaging, we assayed pellicle formation timing in 12 B. subtilis isolates and found that one, MB9_B4, was significantly delayed in pellicle formation by approximately 10 h. MB9_B4 was previously noted to lack robust surfactin production. Indeed, deletion of surfactin synthesis in the other isolates delayed pellicle formation. Further, pellicle delay was rescued by addition of exogeneous surfactin. Testing reporters of biofilm-related gene expression revealed that induction of pellicle formation was caused by a combination of increased gene expression of one of the biofilm components and promotion of growth.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590207524000741Bacillus subtilisBiofilmSecondary metaboliteSurfactinDevelopment |
| spellingShingle | Rune Overlund Stannius Sarah Fusco Michael S. Cowled Ákos T. Kovács Surfactin accelerates Bacillus subtilis pellicle biofilm development Biofilm Bacillus subtilis Biofilm Secondary metabolite Surfactin Development |
| title | Surfactin accelerates Bacillus subtilis pellicle biofilm development |
| title_full | Surfactin accelerates Bacillus subtilis pellicle biofilm development |
| title_fullStr | Surfactin accelerates Bacillus subtilis pellicle biofilm development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Surfactin accelerates Bacillus subtilis pellicle biofilm development |
| title_short | Surfactin accelerates Bacillus subtilis pellicle biofilm development |
| title_sort | surfactin accelerates bacillus subtilis pellicle biofilm development |
| topic | Bacillus subtilis Biofilm Secondary metabolite Surfactin Development |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590207524000741 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT runeoverlundstannius surfactinacceleratesbacillussubtilispelliclebiofilmdevelopment AT sarahfusco surfactinacceleratesbacillussubtilispelliclebiofilmdevelopment AT michaelscowled surfactinacceleratesbacillussubtilispelliclebiofilmdevelopment AT akostkovacs surfactinacceleratesbacillussubtilispelliclebiofilmdevelopment |