Flagellar cap protein is involved in the early stages of Xanthomonas biofilm formation

FLORENCIA MALAMUD; LUCIANO A RIGANO; PABLO S TORRES; LORENA SENDÍN; MARIA ROSA MARANO; ATILIO CASTAGNARO; ADRIAN A VOJNOV

Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Congreso; SAIB; 2007

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD; mso-fareast-language:ES-TRAD;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) is the causal agent of black rot, which affects crucifers such as Brassica campestris and Arabidopsis thaliana, and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri  (Xac) is the causative agent of  citrus canker. Previous works in our laboratory demonstrated that these bacteria were able to produce a functional biofilm, a community of bacteria embedded in an extracellular matrix attached to a surface. This structure is believed to provide protection to bacteria from environmental aggressiveness. By using confocal laser scanning microscopy, we analyzed the biofilm formation of both Xcc fliD and Xac fliD mutants, involved in flagella structure, comparing with wild types Xcc and Xac, respectively. The flagellar cap protein FliD is localized in the tip of the flagella structure. As demonstrated in other bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Vibrio chloerae, the flagella showed to be important in early attachment processes and our results showed that this protein could be implicated in adhesion of bacteria to the surface of the chambers but not in the maturation of the biofilm. These mutants were able to form organized structures, however these were diminished in surface attachment.