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Extracellular DNA: A Critical Aspect of Marine Biofilms

journal contribution
posted on 2023-10-19, 04:21 authored by B Tuck, S J Salgar-Chaparro, E Watkin, Anthony SomersAnthony Somers, Maria ForsythMaria Forsyth, L L Machuca
Multispecies biofilms represent a pervasive threat to marine-based industry, resulting in USD billions in annual losses through biofouling and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Biocides, the primary line of defence against marine biofilms, now face efficacy and toxicity challenges as chemical tolerance by microorganisms increases. A lack of fundamental understanding of species and EPS composition in marine biofilms remains a bottleneck for the development of effective, target-specific biocides with lower environmental impact. In the present study, marine biofilms are developed on steel with three bacterial isolates to evaluate the composition of the EPSs (extracellular polymeric substances) and population dynamics. Confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and fluorimetry revealed that extracellular DNA (eDNA) was a critical structural component of the biofilms. Parallel population analysis indicated that all three strains were active members of the biofilm community. However, eDNA composition did not correlate with strain abundance or activity. The results of the EPS composition analysis and population analysis reveal that biofilms in marine conditions can be stable, well-defined communities, with enabling populations that shape the EPSs. Under marine conditions, eDNA is a critical EPS component of the biofilm and represents a promising target for the enhancement of biocide specificity against these populations.

History

Journal

Microorganisms

Volume

10

Article number

1285

Pagination

Jan-16

Location

Basel, Switzerland

ISSN

2076-2607

eISSN

2076-2607

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal