Biofilm matrix assembly by Bacillus subtilis

生物膜是包裹在细胞外基质中的微生物细胞的复杂群落。生物膜基质由自我产生的大分子组成，这些大分子有助于提供结构完整性，并防止机械、化学和免疫压力。生物膜的形成导致在哺乳动物宿主中建立慢性感染，但也可以在环境环境中用于生物修复和生物控制过程。枯草芽孢杆菌是一种革兰氏阳性土壤细菌，是检测生物膜基质结构和功能的极佳模型。枯草杆菌生物膜基质由三种特定成分组成。第一种是胞外多糖，用于保持生物膜内的水分，并作为信号分子发挥作用。生物膜形成所需的第二种胞外成分是蛋白质BslA，它在生物膜的表面形成一层防水涂层，使其能够抵抗环境的侮辱。生物膜基质的第三种成分是分泌蛋白Tasa。被任命的博士生将采取一种创新的跨学科方法，结合生物分子物理学和分子微生物学的专业知识，帮助阐明生物膜基质组装的机制。农业和食品安全工业生物技术和生物能源生物科学促进健康世界级支撑生物科学X在BBSRC战略研究优先事项的背景下，拟议的工作与优先事项1“农业和粮食安全”的中心契合，目标是实现“可持续的作物生产，如提高产量和质量，预防或抗击病虫害和杂草”。这项提案的焦点是枯草芽孢杆菌，它作为一种生防剂在商业上出售。它已被证明有能力在植物中诱导系统抗性，并相应地为根和空气中的病原菌提供保护。这取决于生物膜的形成过程，但目前在现场试验情况下，生物膜的形成可能有很大的不同。因此，这里产生的信息将通过突出应该在自然野生枯草杆菌分离株中选择的特征来影响下一代生物膜制剂。此外，“将合成生物学等新兴生物科学与工业生物膜和表面科学相结合，以帮助生物膜的培养、创造和操纵”的翻译机会以及对“特别是与生物膜的生物、物理和化学成分有关的特征”的快速表征的要求与我们的研究密切相关。我们设计人造生物膜的愿望将推进BBSRC的战略优先事项2--使用工业生物技术，通过使用从...细菌中提取的生物过程，将‘新的解决方案’推向市场。从根本上讲，这项工作符合BBSRC的“世界级生物科学”的职责，发表在《美国国家科学院院刊》、《细胞》、《自然通讯》和其他受人尊敬的杂志上的文章证明了这一点。

Biofilms are complex communities of microbial cells that are enclosed in an extracellular matrix. The biofilm matrix comprises self-produced macromolecules that serve to provide structural integrity and protection from mechanical, chemical and immunological stress. The formation of biofilms results in the establishment of chronic infections in mammalian hosts but can also be exploited for bio-remediation and bio-control processes in environmental settings. Bacillus subtilis is a Gram-positive soil bacterium that is an excellent model for examining the structure and function of the biofilm matrix. The B. subtilis biofilm matrix is formed by three specific components. The first is an exopolysaccharide that serves to retain moisture within the biofilm and functions as a signalling molecule. The second extracellular component needed for biofilm formation is the protein BslA, which forms a water-repellent coat at the surface of the biofilm, rendering it resistant to environmental insult. The third component of the biofilm matrix is the secreted protein TasA. The PhD student appointed will take an innovative interdisciplinary approach that combines expertise in biomolecular physics and molecular microbiology to help to elucidate the mechanism of biofilm matrix assembly.Agriculture & Food Security Industrial Biotechnology & Bioenergy Bioscience for Health World-Class underpinning Bioscience xIn the context of BBSRC strategic research priorities the proposed work fits centrally with priority 1 "agriculture and food security" with the goal of meeting "sustainable crop production such as enhancing yield and quality, preventing or combating pests, diseases and weeds". The organism that is the focus of this proposal, Bacillus subtilis, is sold commercially as a biocontrol agent. It has proven abilities to induce systemic resistance in plants and correspondingly provide protection to both root and aerial pathogens. This is dependent on the process of biofilm formation but currently in field trial situations biofilm formation can be highly varied in terms of success. Thus information generated here will influence the next-generation of biofilm agents by highlighting traits that should be selected for in natural wild isolates of B. subtilis. In addition, the translation opportunity of "Integration of emerging bioscience, such as synthetic biology, with industrial biofilm and surface science to aid biofilm culturing, creation and manipulation" and the requirement for rapid characterisation "particularly for traits relating to the biological, physical and chemical components of biofilms" is intimately linked with our research. Our desire to engineer an artificial biofilm will advance the BBSRC's strategic priority 2 - the use of industrial biotechnology to bring to market 'novel solutions through the use of biological processes derived from ...bacteria." At a fundamental level the work fits with the BBSRC remit of "World-class Bioscience" as evidenced by publications in PNAS, Cell, Nature Communications, and other highly respected journals.