Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-3-2024
Published In
Microbiology Spectrum
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa forms aggregates known as biofilms. Previous studies have shown that when P. aeruginosa is cultivated in space, thicker and structurally different biofilms are formed than from those grown on Earth. We investigated how microgravity, simulated in a laboratory setting, influenced the growth, colonization, and virulence potentials of a P. aeruginosa PA14 wild-type strain, as well as two surface attachment-defective (sad) mutants altered at crucial biofilm-forming steps: flgK and pelA. Using high-aspect ratio rotating-wall vessel (HARV) bioreactors, P. aeruginosa bacteria were grown to stationary phase under prolonged (6 days) exposure to simulated microgravity or normal gravity conditions. After the exposure, the capacity of the culture to form biofilms was measured. Additionally, pigment (pyocyanin) formed by each culture during the incubation was extracted and quantified. We demonstrate that the first prolonged exposure to low-shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) and without nutrient replenishment significantly diminishes wild-type P. aeruginosa PA14 biofilm formation abilities after exposure and pyocyanin production during exposure, while the mutant strains exhibit differing outcomes for both properties.
Keywords
biofilm, pyocyanin, stationary phase, microgravity
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
K. Z. M. Chen, L. M. Vu, and Amy Cheng Vollmer.
(2024).
"Cultivation In Long-Term Simulated Microgravity Is Detrimental To Pyocyanin Production And Subsequent Biofilm Formation Ability Of Pseudomonas aeruginosa".
Microbiology Spectrum.
Volume 12,
Issue 10.
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00211
https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-biology/690
Comments
This work is freely available under a Creative Commons license.