Created 28/10/2015 Updated 10/02/2017
07 May
2015
13h30
Station Biologique de Roscoff
How original is the bacterial biofilm lifestyle? Identification and use of biofilm-specific functions

1.30 pm / Station Biologique de Roscoff

Jean-Marc GHIGO

In all environments, bacteria commonly attach to surfaces and form biofilms, dense communities often containing multiple species. Bacterial biofilms constitute a major source of infection in medical and industrial settings, as biofilm bacteria survive hostile conditions that normally eradicate planktonic cells.

In light of the profound phenotypic modifications during the switch from planktonic to a biofilm lifestyle, it was early hypothesized that bacterial biofilms could constitute reservoirs of yet unknown biofilm-associated biological functions of both fundamental and clinical relevance.

I will present our recent findings on physiological adaptations to local metabolic conditions within heterogeneous biofilms. I will in particular discuss how functions or molecules specifically produced within biofilms may lead to new strategies to diagnose, limit or eradicate biofilm-associated infections.

Publications

Lebeaux D, Ghigo JM, Beloin C.
Biofilm-related infections: bridging the gap between clinical management and fundamental aspects of recalcitrance toward antibiotics.
Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2014 Sep;78(3):510-43

Chalabaev S, Chauhan A, Novikov A, Iyer P, Szczesny M, Beloin C, Caroff M, Ghigo JM.
Biofilms formed by gram-negative bacteria undergo increased lipid a palmitoylation, enhancing in vivo survival.
MBio. 2014 Aug 19;5(4)

Rendueles O, Beloin C, Latour-Lambert P, Ghigo JM.
A new biofilm-associated colicin with increased efficiency against biofilm bacteria.
ISME J. 2014 Jun;8(6):1275-88.