scholarly journals Subinhibitory Concentrations of Azithromycin Decrease Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Biofilm Formation and Diminish Established Biofilms

2007 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy D. Starner ◽  
Joshua D. Shrout ◽  
Matthew R. Parsek ◽  
Peter C. Appelbaum ◽  
GunHee Kim
Keyword(s):  
Haemophilus Influenzae ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Flow Cell ◽  
Nontypeable Haemophilus Influenzae ◽  
Chronic Lung Diseases ◽  
Airway Infections ◽  
Subinhibitory Concentrations ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) commonly causes otitis media, chronic bronchitis in emphysema, and early airway infections in cystic fibrosis. Long-term, low-dose azithromycin has been shown to improve clinical outcomes in chronic lung diseases, although the mechanism of action remains unclear. The inhibition of bacterial biofilms by azithromycin has been postulated to be one mechanism mediating these effects. We hypothesized that subinhibitory concentrations of azithromycin would affect NTHi biofilm formation. Laboratory strains of NTHi expressing green fluorescent protein and azithromycin-resistant clinical isolates were grown in flow-cell and static-culture biofilm models. Using a range of concentrations of azithromycin and gentamicin, we measured the degree to which these antibiotics inhibited biofilm formation and persistence. Large biofilms formed over 2 to 4 days in a flow cell, displaying complex structures, including towers and channels. Subinhibitory concentrations of azithromycin significantly decreased biomass and maximal thickness in both forming and established NTHi biofilms. In contrast, subinhibitory concentrations of gentamicin had no effect on biofilm formation. Furthermore, established NTHi biofilms became resistant to gentamicin at concentrations far above the MIC. Biofilm formation of highly resistant clinical NTHi isolates (azithromycin MIC of >64 μg/ml) was similarly decreased at subinhibitory azithromycin concentrations. Clinically obtainable azithromycin concentrations inhibited biofilms in all but the most highly resistant isolates. These data show that subinhibitory concentrations of azithromycin have antibiofilm properties, provide mechanistic insights, and supply an additional rationale for the use of azithromycin in chronic biofilm infections involving H. influenzae.

scholarly journals Paracetamol modulates biofilm formation in Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 8 strains

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andi R. Sultan ◽  
Kirby R. Lattwein ◽  
Nicole A. Lemmens-den Toom ◽  
Susan V. Snijders ◽  
Klazina Kooiman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Clonal Complex ◽  
Regulatory Pathways ◽  
Immune Modulator ◽  
Viability Assay ◽  
Analgesic Agents ◽  
Green Fluorescent

AbstractStaphylococcus aureus biofilms are a major problem in modern healthcare due to their resistance to immune system defenses and antibiotic treatments. Certain analgesic agents are able to modulate S. aureus biofilm formation, but currently no evidence exists if paracetamol, often combined with antibiotic treatment, also has this effect. Therefore, we aimed to investigate if paracetamol can modulate S. aureus biofilm formation. Considering that certain regulatory pathways for biofilm formation and virulence factor production by S. aureus are linked, we further investigated the effect of paracetamol on immune modulator production. The in vitro biofilm mass of 21 S. aureus strains from 9 genetic backgrounds was measured in the presence of paracetamol. Based on biofilm mass quantity, we further investigated paracetamol-induced biofilm alterations using a bacterial viability assay combined with N-Acetylglucosamine staining. Isothermal microcalorimetry was used to monitor the effect of paracetamol on bacterial metabolism within biofilms and green fluorescent protein (GFP) promoter fusion technology for transcription of staphylococcal complement inhibitor (SCIN). Clinically relevant concentrations of paracetamol enhanced biofilm formation particularly among strains belonging to clonal complex 8 (CC8), but had minimal effect on S. aureus planktonic growth. The increase of biofilm mass can be attributed to the marked increase of N-Acetylglucosamine containing components of the extracellular matrix, presumably polysaccharide intercellular adhesion. Biofilms of RN6390A (CC8) showed a significant increase in the immune modulator SCIN transcription during co-incubation with low concentrations of paracetamol. Our data indicate that paracetamol can enhance biofilm formation. The clinical relevance needs to be further investigated.

scholarly journals Multiciliated cell basal bodies align in stereotypical patterns coordinated by the apical cytoskeleton

2016 ◽  
Vol 214 (5) ◽  
pp. 571-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Herawati ◽  
Daisuke Taniguchi ◽  
Hatsuho Kanoh ◽  
Kazuhiro Tateishi ◽  
Shuji Ishihara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Basal Bodies ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Multiciliated Cells ◽  
Alignment Process ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Linear Alignment ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Multiciliated cells (MCCs) promote fluid flow through coordinated ciliary beating, which requires properly organized basal bodies (BBs). Airway MCCs have large numbers of BBs, which are uniformly oriented and, as we show here, align linearly. The mechanism for BB alignment is unexplored. To study this mechanism, we developed a long-term and high-resolution live-imaging system and used it to observe green fluorescent protein–centrin2–labeled BBs in cultured mouse tracheal MCCs. During MCC differentiation, the BB array adopted four stereotypical patterns, from a clustering “floret” pattern to the linear “alignment.” This alignment process was correlated with BB orientations, revealed by double immunostaining for BBs and their asymmetrically associated basal feet (BF). The BB alignment was disrupted by disturbing apical microtubules with nocodazole and by a BF-depleting Odf2 mutation. We constructed a theoretical model, which indicated that the apical cytoskeleton, acting like a viscoelastic fluid, provides a self-organizing mechanism in tracheal MCCs to align BBs linearly for mucociliary transport.

scholarly journals GluA1 trafficking and metabotropic NMDA: addressing results from other laboratories inconsistent with ours

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1633) ◽  
pp. 20130145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadegh Nabavi ◽  
Rocky Fox ◽  
Stephanie Alfonso ◽  
Jonathan Aow ◽  
Roberto Malinow
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Long Term Depression ◽  
Mk 801 ◽  
Over Expression ◽  
Term Potentiation ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Gfp Tag

We have previously shown that when over-expressed in neurons, green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagged GluA1 (GluA1-GFP) delivery into synapses is dependent on plasticity. A recent study suggests that GluA1 over-expression leads to its incorporation into the synapse, in the absence of additional long-term potentiation-like manipulations. It is possible that a GFP tag was responsible for the difference. Using rectification index as a measure of synaptic delivery of GluA1, we found no difference in the synaptic delivery of GluA1-GFP versus untagged GluA1. We recently published a study showing that while D-APV blocks NMDAr-dependent long-term depression (LTD), MK-801 and 7-chloro kynurenate (7CK) fail to block LTD. We propose a metabotropic function for the NMDA receptor in LTD induction. In contrast to our observations, recent unpublished data suggest that the above antagonists are equally effective in blocking LTD. We noticed different methodology in their study. Here, we show that their methodology has complex effects on synaptic transmission. Therefore, it is not possible to conclude that 7CK is effective in blocking LTD from their type of experiment.

scholarly journals Fluorescence-Based Reporter for Gauging Cyclic Di-GMP Levels in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (15) ◽  
pp. 5060-5069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morten T. Rybtke ◽  
Bradley R. Borlee ◽  
Keiji Murakami ◽  
Yasuhiko Irie ◽  
Morten Hentzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Host Immune System ◽  
Chronic Infections ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACTThe increased tolerance toward the host immune system and antibiotics displayed by biofilm-formingPseudomonas aeruginosaand other bacteria in chronic infections such as cystic fibrosis bronchopneumonia is of major concern. Targeting of biofilm formation is believed to be a key aspect in the development of novel antipathogenic drugs that can augment the effect of classic antibiotics by decreasing antimicrobial tolerance. The second messenger cyclic di-GMP is a positive regulator of biofilm formation, and cyclic di-GMP signaling is now regarded as a potential target for the development of antipathogenic compounds. Here we describe the development of fluorescent monitors that can gauge the cellular level of cyclic di-GMP inP. aeruginosa. We have created cyclic di-GMP level reporters by transcriptionally fusing the cyclic di-GMP-responsivecdrApromoter to genes encoding green fluorescent protein. We show that the reporter constructs give a fluorescent readout of the intracellular level of cyclic di-GMP inP. aeruginosastrains with different levels of cyclic di-GMP. Furthermore, we show that the reporters are able to detect increased turnover of cyclic di-GMP mediated by treatment ofP. aeruginosawith the phosphodiesterase inducer nitric oxide. Considering that biofilm formation is a necessity for the subsequent development of a chronic infection and therefore a pathogenicity trait, the reporters display a significant potential for use in the identification of novel antipathogenic compounds targeting cyclic di-GMP signaling, as well as for use in research aiming at understanding the biofilm biology ofP. aeruginosa.

scholarly journals Quorum-Sensing Genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms: Their Role and Expression Patterns

2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 1865-1873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa R. De Kievit ◽  
Richard Gillis ◽  
Steve Marx ◽  
Chris Brown ◽  
Barbara H. Iglewski
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Homoserine Lactone ◽  
Lower Percentage ◽  
Spatial Studies ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Biofilm Development

ABSTRACT Acylated homoserine lactone molecules are used by a number of gram-negative bacteria to regulate cell density-dependent gene expression by a mechanism known as quorum sensing (QS). InPseudomonas aeruginosa, QS or cell-to-cell signaling controls expression of a number of virulence factors, as well as biofilm differentiation. In this study, we investigated the role played by the las and rhl QS systems during the early stages of static biofilm formation when cells are adhering to a surface and forming microcolonies. These studies revealed a marked difference in biofilm formation between the PAO1 parent and the QS mutants when glucose, but not citrate, was used as the sole carbon source. To further elucidate the contribution of lasI andrhlI to biofilm maturation, we utilized fusions to unstable green fluorescent protein in concert with confocal microscopy to perform real-time temporal and spatial studies of these genes in a flowing environment. During the course of 8-day biofilm development,lasI expression was found to progressively decrease over time. Conversely, rhlI expression remained steady throughout biofilm development but occurred in a lower percentage of cells. Spatial analysis revealed that lasI andrhlI were maximally expressed in cells located at the substratum and that expression decreased with increasing biofilm height. Because QS was shown previously to be involved in biofilm differentiation, these findings have important implications for the design of biofilm prevention and eradication strategies.

scholarly journals Retrograde Transport of Transcription Factor NF-κB in Living Neurons

2000 ◽  
Vol 276 (15) ◽  
pp. 11821-11829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henning Wellmann ◽  
Barbara Kaltschmidt ◽  
Christian Kaltschmidt
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Retrograde Transport ◽  
Receptor Activation ◽  
Transcriptional Changes ◽  
Localization Signal ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Living Neurons

The mechanism by which signals such as those produced by glutamate are transferred to the nucleus may involve direct transport of an activated transcription factor to trigger long-term transcriptional changes. Ionotropic glutamate receptor activation or depolarization activates transcription factor NF-κB and leads to translocation of NF-κB from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. We investigated the dynamics of NF-κB translocation in living neurons by tracing the NF-κB subunit RelA (p65) with jellyfish green fluorescent protein. We found that green fluorescent protein-RelA was located in either the nucleus or cytoplasm and neurites, depending on the coexpression of the cognate inhibitor of NF-κB, IκB-α. Stimulation with glutamate, kainate, or potassium chloride resulted in a redistribution of NF-κB from neurites to the nucleus. This transport depended on an intact nuclear localization signal on RelA. Thus, in addition to its role as a transcription factor, NF-κB may be a signal transducer, transmitting transient glutamatergic signals from distant sites to the nucleus.

scholarly journals Role of Sialic Acid and Complex Carbohydrate Biosynthesis in Biofilm Formation by Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae in the Chinchilla Middle Ear

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 3210-3218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Jurcisek ◽  
Laura Greiner ◽  
Hiroshi Watanabe ◽  
Anthony Zaleski ◽  
Michael A. Apicella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sialic Acid ◽  
Haemophilus Influenzae ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Mammalian Host ◽  
Nontypeable Haemophilus Influenzae ◽  
Biofilm Production ◽  
Tract Infections

ABSTRACT Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) is an important pathogen in respiratory tract infections, including otitis media (OM). NTHI forms biofilms in vitro as well as in the chinchilla middle ear, suggesting that biofilm formation in vivo might play an important role in the pathogenesis and chronicity of OM. We've previously shown that SiaA, SiaB, and WecA are involved in biofilm production by NTHI in vitro. To investigate whether these gene products were also involved in biofilm production in vivo, NTHI strain 2019 and five isogenic mutants with deletions in genes involved in carbohydrate biosynthesis were inoculated into the middle ears of chinchillas. The wild-type strain formed a large, well-organized, and viable biofilm; however, the wecA, lsgB, siaA, pgm, and siaB mutants were either unable to form biofilms or formed biofilms of markedly reduced mass, organization, and viability. Despite their compromised ability to form a biofilm in vivo, wecA, lsgB, and siaA mutants survived in the chinchilla, inducing culture-positive middle ear effusions, whereas pgm and siaB mutants were extremely sensitive to the bactericidal activity of chinchilla serum and thus did not survive. Lectin analysis indicated that sialic acid was an important component of the NTHI 2019 biofilm produced in vivo. Our data suggested that genes involved in carbohydrate biosynthesis and assembly play an important role in the ability of NTHI to form a biofilm in vivo. Collectively, we found that when modeled in a mammalian host, whereas biofilm formation was not essential for survivability of NTHI in vivo, lipooligosaccharide sialylation was indispensable.

Alginate production affects Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm development and architecture, but is not essential for biofilm formation

2004 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 679-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andres Plata Stapper ◽  
Giri Narasimhan ◽  
Dennis E. Ohman ◽  
Johnny Barakat ◽  
Morten Hentzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Cell System ◽  
Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Confocal Laser ◽  
Alginate Production ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Biofilm Development

Extracellular polymers can facilitate the non-specific attachment of bacteria to surfaces and hold together developing biofilms. This study was undertaken to qualitatively and quantitatively compare the architecture of biofilms produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1 and its alginate-overproducing (mucA22) and alginate-defective (algD) variants in order to discern the role of alginate in biofilm formation. These strains, PAO1, Alg+ PAOmucA22 and Alg− PAOalgD, tagged with green fluorescent protein, were grown in a continuous flow cell system to characterize the developmental cycles of their biofilm formation using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Biofilm Image Processing (bip) and Community Statistics (comstat) software programs were used to provide quantitative measurements of the two-dimensional biofilm images. All three strains formed distinguishable biofilm architectures, indicating that the production of alginate is not critical for biofilm formation. Observation over a period of 5 days indicated a three-stage development pattern consisting of initiation, establishment and maturation. Furthermore, this study showed that phenotypically distinguishable biofilms can be quantitatively differentiated.

scholarly journals Engineering of Bacillus subtilis Strains To Allow Rapid Characterization of Heterologous Diguanylate Cyclases and Phosphodiesterases

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (19) ◽  
pp. 6167-6174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Gao ◽  
Xiao Dong ◽  
Sundharraman Subramanian ◽  
Paige M. Matthews ◽  
Caleb A. Cooper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Metabolic Enzymes ◽  
Guanosine Monophosphate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Diguanylate Cyclases ◽  
Rapid Characterization ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACTMicrobial processes, including biofilm formation, motility, and virulence, are often regulated by changes in the available concentration of cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP). Generally, high c-di-GMP concentrations are correlated with decreased motility and increased biofilm formation and low c-di-GMP concentrations are correlated with an increase in motility and activation of virulence pathways. The study of c-di-GMP is complicated, however, by the fact that organisms often encode dozens of redundant enzymes that synthesize and hydrolyze c-di-GMP, diguanylate cyclases (DGCs), and c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases (PDEs); thus, determining the contribution of any one particular enzyme is challenging. In an effort to develop a facile system to study c-di-GMP metabolic enzymes, we have engineered a suite ofBacillus subtilisstrains to assess the effect of individual heterologously expressed proteins on c-di-GMP levels. As a proof of principle, we characterized all 37 known genes encoding predicted DGCs and PDEs inClostridium difficileusing parallel readouts of swarming motility and fluorescence from green fluorescent protein (GFP) expressed under the control of a c-di-GMP-controlled riboswitch. We found that 27 of the 37 putativeC. difficile630 c-di-GMP metabolic enzymes had either active cyclase or phosphodiesterase activity, with agreement between our motility phenotypes and fluorescence-based c-di-GMP reporter. Finally, we show that there appears to be a threshold level of c-di-GMP needed to inhibit motility inBacillus subtilis.

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