The Spatial–Temporal Effects of Bacterial Growth Substrates on Antibiotic Resistance Gene Spread in the Biofilm
Biofilm is considered as the hotspot of antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) dissemination. Bacterial growth substrates are important factors for biofilm formation, but its spatial–temporal effects on ARG spread in biofilm is still unclear. In this study, microfluidics combined with microscopic observat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-07-01
|
| Series: | Antibiotics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/7/1154 |
| _version_ | 1797590537619898368 |
|---|---|
| author | Shuzhen Liu Bingwen Liu Yin Zhu Yong Qiu Bing Li |
| author_facet | Shuzhen Liu Bingwen Liu Yin Zhu Yong Qiu Bing Li |
| author_sort | Shuzhen Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Biofilm is considered as the hotspot of antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) dissemination. Bacterial growth substrates are important factors for biofilm formation, but its spatial–temporal effects on ARG spread in biofilm is still unclear. In this study, microfluidics combined with microscopic observation were used to reveal spatial–temporal effects of bacterial growth substrates on ARG transfer at real time. The initial horizontal gene transfer events were found to be independent of substrate levels. However, subsequent transfer processes varied greatly depending on the availability of growth substrates. The proportion of transconjugants was much higher (~12%) when observed in substrate-rich regions (under the channel) at 24 h, followed by an exponential decline, with the distance far from the channel. Furthermore, three-dimensional observation revealed that vertical gene transfer influenced by the concentrations of bacterial growth substrates was important for ARG spread in biofilm. The transfer frequency was 8.2 times higher in the high substrate concentration (50×) compared to low concentration (0.5×) in simulated sewage, underscoring the substantial impact of bacterial growth substrate variability on ARG dissemination. This study is helpful for in-depth understanding of ARG dissemination through biofilms and indicates that reducing pollutant emission is important for ARG control in the environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:21:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c4e3202991a74a9c9b2ec20c440511d6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:21:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj.art-c4e3202991a74a9c9b2ec20c440511d62023-11-18T18:03:00ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822023-07-01127115410.3390/antibiotics12071154The Spatial–Temporal Effects of Bacterial Growth Substrates on Antibiotic Resistance Gene Spread in the BiofilmShuzhen Liu0Bingwen Liu1Yin Zhu2Yong Qiu3Bing Li4School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, ChinaSchool of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, ChinaSchool of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaSchool of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaSchool of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, ChinaBiofilm is considered as the hotspot of antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) dissemination. Bacterial growth substrates are important factors for biofilm formation, but its spatial–temporal effects on ARG spread in biofilm is still unclear. In this study, microfluidics combined with microscopic observation were used to reveal spatial–temporal effects of bacterial growth substrates on ARG transfer at real time. The initial horizontal gene transfer events were found to be independent of substrate levels. However, subsequent transfer processes varied greatly depending on the availability of growth substrates. The proportion of transconjugants was much higher (~12%) when observed in substrate-rich regions (under the channel) at 24 h, followed by an exponential decline, with the distance far from the channel. Furthermore, three-dimensional observation revealed that vertical gene transfer influenced by the concentrations of bacterial growth substrates was important for ARG spread in biofilm. The transfer frequency was 8.2 times higher in the high substrate concentration (50×) compared to low concentration (0.5×) in simulated sewage, underscoring the substantial impact of bacterial growth substrate variability on ARG dissemination. This study is helpful for in-depth understanding of ARG dissemination through biofilms and indicates that reducing pollutant emission is important for ARG control in the environment.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/7/1154antibiotic resistance genesbiofilm formationagarose microfluidic chipbacterial growth substratesplasmid conjugation |
| spellingShingle | Shuzhen Liu Bingwen Liu Yin Zhu Yong Qiu Bing Li The Spatial–Temporal Effects of Bacterial Growth Substrates on Antibiotic Resistance Gene Spread in the Biofilm Antibiotics antibiotic resistance genes biofilm formation agarose microfluidic chip bacterial growth substrates plasmid conjugation |
| title | The Spatial–Temporal Effects of Bacterial Growth Substrates on Antibiotic Resistance Gene Spread in the Biofilm |
| title_full | The Spatial–Temporal Effects of Bacterial Growth Substrates on Antibiotic Resistance Gene Spread in the Biofilm |
| title_fullStr | The Spatial–Temporal Effects of Bacterial Growth Substrates on Antibiotic Resistance Gene Spread in the Biofilm |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Spatial–Temporal Effects of Bacterial Growth Substrates on Antibiotic Resistance Gene Spread in the Biofilm |
| title_short | The Spatial–Temporal Effects of Bacterial Growth Substrates on Antibiotic Resistance Gene Spread in the Biofilm |
| title_sort | spatial temporal effects of bacterial growth substrates on antibiotic resistance gene spread in the biofilm |
| topic | antibiotic resistance genes biofilm formation agarose microfluidic chip bacterial growth substrates plasmid conjugation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/7/1154 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shuzhenliu thespatialtemporaleffectsofbacterialgrowthsubstratesonantibioticresistancegenespreadinthebiofilm AT bingwenliu thespatialtemporaleffectsofbacterialgrowthsubstratesonantibioticresistancegenespreadinthebiofilm AT yinzhu thespatialtemporaleffectsofbacterialgrowthsubstratesonantibioticresistancegenespreadinthebiofilm AT yongqiu thespatialtemporaleffectsofbacterialgrowthsubstratesonantibioticresistancegenespreadinthebiofilm AT bingli thespatialtemporaleffectsofbacterialgrowthsubstratesonantibioticresistancegenespreadinthebiofilm AT shuzhenliu spatialtemporaleffectsofbacterialgrowthsubstratesonantibioticresistancegenespreadinthebiofilm AT bingwenliu spatialtemporaleffectsofbacterialgrowthsubstratesonantibioticresistancegenespreadinthebiofilm AT yinzhu spatialtemporaleffectsofbacterialgrowthsubstratesonantibioticresistancegenespreadinthebiofilm AT yongqiu spatialtemporaleffectsofbacterialgrowthsubstratesonantibioticresistancegenespreadinthebiofilm AT bingli spatialtemporaleffectsofbacterialgrowthsubstratesonantibioticresistancegenespreadinthebiofilm |