Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation and School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Microbiol Spectr. 2015 Dec;3(6). doi: 10.1128/microbiolspec.MB-0015-2014.
One common feature of biofilm development is the active dispersal of cells from the mature biofilm, which completes the biofilm life cycle and allows for the subsequent colonization of new habitats. Dispersal is likely to be critical for species survival and appears to be a precisely regulated process that involves a complex network of genes and signal transduction systems. Sophisticated molecular mechanisms control the transition of sessile biofilm cells into dispersal cells and their coordinated detachment and release in the bulk liquid. Dispersal cells appear to be specialized and exhibit a unique phenotype different from biofilm or planktonic bacteria. Further, the dispersal population is characterized by a high level of heterogeneity, reminiscent of, but distinct from, that in the biofilm, which could potentially allow for improved colonization under various environmental conditions. Here we review recent advances in characterizing the molecular mechanisms that regulate biofilm dispersal events and the impact of dispersal in a broader ecological context. Several strategies that exploit the mechanisms controlling biofilm dispersal to develop as applications for biofilm control are also presented.
生物膜发育的一个共同特征是细胞从成熟生物膜中主动分散，这完成了生物膜的生命周期，并允许随后在新栖息地定殖。分散很可能对物种的生存至关重要，并且似乎是一个经过精确调节的过程，涉及到一个复杂的基因和信号转导系统网络。复杂的分子机制控制着静止生物膜细胞向分散细胞的转变，以及它们在液体中的协调分离和释放。分散细胞似乎是专门的，表现出不同于生物膜或浮游细菌的独特表型。此外，分散种群的特点是高度异质性，类似于生物膜中的异质性，但又不同于生物膜中的异质性，这可能允许在各种环境条件下更好地定殖。在这里，我们回顾了近年来在描述调节生物膜分散事件的分子机制以及在更广泛的生态背景下分散的影响方面的进展。还提出了几种利用控制生物膜分散的机制来开发生物膜控制应用的策略。
