Weak rolling adhesion enhances bacterial surface colonization.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial adhesion to and subsequent colonization of surfaces are the first steps toward forming biofilms, which are a major concern for implanted medical devices and in many diseases. It has generally been assumed that strong irreversible adhesion is a necessary step for biofilm formation. However, some bacteria, such as Escherichia coli when binding to mannosylated surfaces via the adhesive protein FimH, adhere weakly in a mode that allows them to roll across the surface. Since single-point mutations or even increased shear stress can switch this FimH-mediated adhesion to a strong stationary mode, the FimH system offers a unique opportunity to investigate the role of the strength of adhesion independently from the many other factors that may affect surface colonization. Here we compare l

SUBMITTER: Anderson BN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1855705 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature