Use of Alternative Gelling Agents Reveals the Role of Rhamnolipids in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Surface Motility
<i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> is a motile bacterium able to exhibit a social surface behaviour known as swarming motility. Swarming requires the polar flagellum of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> as well as the secretion of wetting agents to ease the spread across the surface. However,...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Biomolecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/11/10/1468 |
| _version_ | 1797515214613118976 |
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| author | Charles D. Morin Eric Déziel |
| author_facet | Charles D. Morin Eric Déziel |
| author_sort | Charles D. Morin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> is a motile bacterium able to exhibit a social surface behaviour known as swarming motility. Swarming requires the polar flagellum of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> as well as the secretion of wetting agents to ease the spread across the surface. However, our knowledge on swarming is limited to observed phenotypes on agar-solidified media. To study the surface behaviour and the impact of wetting agents of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> on other surfaces, we assessed surface motility capabilities of the prototypical strain PA14 on semi-solid media solidified with alternative gelling agents, gellan gum and carrageenan. We found that, on these alternative surfaces, the characteristic dendritic spreading pattern of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> is drastically altered. One striking feature is the loss of dependence on rhamnolipids to spread effectively on plates solidified with these alternative gelling agents. Indeed, a <i>rhlA</i>-null mutant unable to produce its wetting agents still spreads effectively, albeit in a circular shape on both the gellan gum- and carrageenan-based media. Our data indicate that rhamnolipids do not have such a crucial role in achieving surface colonization of non-agar plates, suggesting a strong dependence on the physical properties of the tested surface. The use of alternative gelling agent provides new means to reveal unknown features of bacterial surface behaviour. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:42:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-58d9b4dd1d7e46098d46ff69165496ab |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-273X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:42:21Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomolecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-58d9b4dd1d7e46098d46ff69165496ab2023-11-22T17:34:07ZengMDPI AGBiomolecules2218-273X2021-10-011110146810.3390/biom11101468Use of Alternative Gelling Agents Reveals the Role of Rhamnolipids in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Surface MotilityCharles D. Morin0Eric Déziel1Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Laval, QC H7V 1B7, CanadaCentre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada<i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> is a motile bacterium able to exhibit a social surface behaviour known as swarming motility. Swarming requires the polar flagellum of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> as well as the secretion of wetting agents to ease the spread across the surface. However, our knowledge on swarming is limited to observed phenotypes on agar-solidified media. To study the surface behaviour and the impact of wetting agents of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> on other surfaces, we assessed surface motility capabilities of the prototypical strain PA14 on semi-solid media solidified with alternative gelling agents, gellan gum and carrageenan. We found that, on these alternative surfaces, the characteristic dendritic spreading pattern of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> is drastically altered. One striking feature is the loss of dependence on rhamnolipids to spread effectively on plates solidified with these alternative gelling agents. Indeed, a <i>rhlA</i>-null mutant unable to produce its wetting agents still spreads effectively, albeit in a circular shape on both the gellan gum- and carrageenan-based media. Our data indicate that rhamnolipids do not have such a crucial role in achieving surface colonization of non-agar plates, suggesting a strong dependence on the physical properties of the tested surface. The use of alternative gelling agent provides new means to reveal unknown features of bacterial surface behaviour.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/11/10/1468gellan gumcarrageenanswarming motilitywetting agentsbacterial behaviour |
| spellingShingle | Charles D. Morin Eric Déziel Use of Alternative Gelling Agents Reveals the Role of Rhamnolipids in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Surface Motility Biomolecules gellan gum carrageenan swarming motility wetting agents bacterial behaviour |
| title | Use of Alternative Gelling Agents Reveals the Role of Rhamnolipids in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Surface Motility |
| title_full | Use of Alternative Gelling Agents Reveals the Role of Rhamnolipids in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Surface Motility |
| title_fullStr | Use of Alternative Gelling Agents Reveals the Role of Rhamnolipids in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Surface Motility |
| title_full_unstemmed | Use of Alternative Gelling Agents Reveals the Role of Rhamnolipids in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Surface Motility |
| title_short | Use of Alternative Gelling Agents Reveals the Role of Rhamnolipids in <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Surface Motility |
| title_sort | use of alternative gelling agents reveals the role of rhamnolipids in i pseudomonas aeruginosa i surface motility |
| topic | gellan gum carrageenan swarming motility wetting agents bacterial behaviour |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/11/10/1468 |
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