Role of Capsular Polysaccharides in Biofilm Formation: An AFM Nanomechanics Study

H Wang; JJ Wilksch; RA Strugnell; ML Gee

Journal article

Role of Capsular Polysaccharides in Biofilm Formation: An AFM Nanomechanics Study

H Wang, JJ Wilksch, RA Strugnell, ML Gee

ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces | Published : 2015

DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5b03041

Abstract

Bacteria form biofilms to facilitate colonization of biotic and abiotic surfaces, and biofilm formation on indwelling medical devices is a common cause of hospital-acquired infection. Although it is well-recognized that the exopolysaccharide capsule is one of the key bacterial components for biofilm formation, the underlying biophysical mechanism is poorly understood. In the present study, nanomechanical measurements of wild type and specific mutants of the pathogen, Klebsiella pneumoniae, were performed in situ using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Theoretical modeling of the mechanical data and static microtiter plate biofilm assays show that the organization of the capsule can influence ba..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Jonathan Wilksch Author

Dick Strugnell Author

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Grants

Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Melbourne Materials Institute for interdisciplinary seed funding for this project. In addition, this work was supported by the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Project Grant 628770, NHMRC Program Grant 606788, and Australian Research Council Project Grant DP130100957. H.W. also acknowledges the support from NSFC (No. 11105090), CIGIT for Startup Foundation for Advanced Talents, Chongqing Science and Technology Commission (cstc2013yykfC00007 and cstc2013jcyjC00001), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences for a Key Scientific Instrument and Equipment Development Project.