Affiliation:
1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Colonization of the Hawaiian squid
Euprymna scolopes
by the marine bacterium
Vibrio fischeri
requires the symbiosis polysaccharide (
syp
) gene cluster, which contributes to symbiotic initiation by promoting biofilm formation on the surface of the symbiotic organ. We previously described roles for the
syp
-encoded response regulator SypG and an unlinked gene encoding the sensor kinase RscS in controlling
syp
transcription and inducing
syp
-dependent cell-cell aggregation phenotypes. Here, we report the involvement of an additional
syp
-encoded regulator, the putative sensor kinase SypF, in promoting biofilm formation. Through the isolation of an increased activity allele,
sypF1
, we determined that SypF can function to induce
syp
transcription as well as a variety of biofilm phenotypes, including wrinkled colony formation, adherence to glass, and pellicle formation. SypF1-mediated transcription of the
syp
cluster was entirely dependent on SypG. However, the biofilm phenotypes were reduced, not eliminated, in the
sypG
mutant. These phenotypes were also reduced in a mutant deleted for
sypE
, another
syp
-encoded response regulator. However, SypF1 still induced phenotypes in a
sypG sypE
double mutant, suggesting that SypF1 might activate another regulator(s). Our subsequent work revealed that the residual SypF1-induced biofilm formation depended on VpsR, a putative response regulator, and cellulose biosynthesis. These data support a model in which a network of regulators and at least two polysaccharide loci contribute to biofilm formation in
V. fischeri
.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Molecular Biology,Microbiology
Cited by
55 articles.
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