Helicobacter pylori biofilm formation is differentially affected by common culture conditions, and proteins play a central role in the biofilm matrix

Ian H. Windham, Stephanie L. Servetas, Jeannette M. Whitmire, Daniel Pletzer, Robert E.W. Hancock, D. Scott Merrell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The concept of Helicobacter pylori biofilm formation is relatively new. To help provide a foundation for future biofilm studies, we characterized the biofilm formation ability of a common H. pylori lab strain, G27. The goal of this study was to evaluate biofilm formation by G27 in response to common culture conditions and to explore the biofilm matrix. Our results indicate that while various types of growth media did not dramatically affect biofilm formation, surface selection had a significant effect on the final biofilm mass. Furthermore, enzymatic assays and confocal microscopy revealed that proteins appear to be the primary structural component of the H. pylori extracellular matrix; extracellular DNA (eDNA) and polysaccharides were also present but appear to play a secondary role. Finally, we found that two wellcharacterized antibiofilm cationic peptides differentially affected early and late-stage biofilms. Together these results provide interesting avenues for future investigations that will seek to understand H. pylori biofilm formation.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere00391-18
JournalApplied and Environmental Microbiology
Volume84
Issue number14
DOIs
Publication statusPublished or Issued - 1 Jul 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Antimicrobial peptides
  • Biofilms
  • Helicobacter pylori

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Food Science
  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
  • Ecology

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