Journal
MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 49, Issue 9, Pages 875-884Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2005.tb03678.x
Keywords
Escherichia coli; biofilm; Curli; adherence
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Sessile bacteria show phenotypical, biochemical, and morphological differences from their planktonic counterparts. Curli, extracellular structures important for biofilm formation, are only produced at temperatures below 30 degrees C in Escherichia coli K-12 strains. In this report, we show that E. coli K-12 can produce curli at 37 degrees C when grown as a biofilm community. The curli-expressing strain formed more biofilms on polyurethane sheets than the curli-deficient strain under growth temperatures of both 25 degrees C and 37 degrees C. Curli are required for the formation of a three-dimensional mature biofilm, with characteristic water channels and pillars of bacteria. Observations by electron microscopy revealed the presence at the surfaces of the curli-deficient mutant in biofilm of flagella and type I pili. A wild-type curli-expressing E. coli strain significantly adhered to several lines of human uroepithelial cells, more so than an isogenic curli-deficient strain. The finding that curli are expressed at 37 degrees C in biofilm and enhance bacterial adherence to mammalian host cells suggests an important role for curli in pathogenesis.
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