Role of alginate lyase in cell detachment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Date
1994-07Author
Boyd, Aoife
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Boyd A and AM Chakrabarty. (1994) 'Role of alginate lyase in cell detachment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa'. Infection and Immunity, 66 :2976-2979.
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Abstract
The exopolysaccharide alginate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was shown to be important in determining the
degree of cell detachment from an agar surface. Nonmucoid strain 8822 gave rise to 50-fold more sloughed cells
than mucoid strains 8821 and 8830. Alginate anchors the bacteria to the agar surface, thereby influencing the
extent of detachment. The role of the P. aeruginosa alginate lyase in the process of cell sloughing was
investigated. Increased expression of the alginate lyase in mucoid strain 8830 led to alginate degradation and
increased cell detachment. Similar effects were seen both when the alginate lyase was induced at the initial
stage of cell inoculation and when it was induced at a later stage of growth. It appears that high-molecular-weight
alginate polymers are required to efficiently retain the bacteria within the growth film. When expressed
from a regulated promoter, the alginate lyase can induce enhanced sloughing of cells because of degradation
of the alginate. This suggests a possible role for the lyase in the development of bacterial growth films.