RUI: Surface and Analytical Chemistry to Elucidate Fundamental Biofilm Properties and Mechanisms of Biofilm Control

RUI：表面和分析化学阐明生物膜的基本特性和生物膜控制机制

• 批准号: 0910578
• 负责人: Eileen Spain
• 金额: $ 43.05万
• 依托单位: Occidental College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-15 至 2014-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0910578&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Surface; Analytical; Chemistry; Elucidate

Professors Eileen M. Spain of Occidental College, Megan A. Ferguson of SUNY New Paltz, and Megan E. Nunez of Mt Holyoke College are supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry to investigate the chemical and physical properties of bacterial biofilms, and the mechanisms by which they are consumed by predators, such as Bdellovibrio. Two separate approaches are considered. The first focuses on the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to characterize the properties of bacterial cells during various stages of biofilm formation. Specifically, the force measurement modes of the AFM will be used to measure cellular spring constants, surface biomolecule compression, and adhesion to the tip. The second approach focuses on the role of Bdellovibrio in attacking the biofilms of Gram-negative organisms. Quorum sensing in Bdellovibrio, and the pigments produced by Bdellovibrio, will be investigated. The ultimate goals of the proposed research are to determine how Bdellovibrio predation is affected by the physical properties of biofilm cells, and what property of the prey cell surface allows the predator to recognize it as edible. Understanding how bacteria communicate within the same and different species and how predators recognize prey cells in biofilms has tremendous relevance to microbiology, medicine, ecology and biodefense. Undergraduate students from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic background at three primarily undergraduate institutions will be exposed to interdisciplinary research at the interface between chemistry and microbiology.

西方学院的 Eileen M. Spain 教授、纽约州立大学新帕尔茨分校的 Megan A. Ferguson 和 Mt Holyoke 学院的 Megan E. Nunez 教授在化学系分析和表面化学项目的支持下，研究细菌生物膜的化学和物理特性，以及它们被捕食者（如蛭弧菌）消耗的机制。 考虑两种不同的方法。 第一个重点是使用原子力显微镜（AFM）来表征细菌细胞在生物膜形成的各个阶段的特性。 具体来说，AFM 的力测量模式将用于测量细胞弹簧常数、表面生物分子压缩以及对尖端的粘附力。第二种方法侧重于蛭弧菌在攻击革兰氏阴性生物体生物膜中的作用。将研究蛭弧菌的群体感应以及由蛭弧菌产生的色素。 该研究的最终目标是确定生物膜细胞的物理特性如何影响蛭弧菌捕食，以及猎物细胞表面的哪些特性允许捕食者将其识别为可食用的。 了解细菌如何在相同和不同物种内进行交流，以及捕食者如何识别生物膜中的猎物细胞，与微生物学、医学、生态学和生物防御具有巨大的相关性。 三个主要本科院校的来自不同种族和社会经济背景的本科生将接触化学和微生物学之间的跨学科研究。