A new model helps to predict under which conditions a species of bacteria will switch to a static lifestyle.
SHRAVAN PRADEEP AND PAULO E ARRATIA
above a certain threshold (Davies et al., 1998;
Related research article Moore-Ott JA, Waters and Bassler, 2005). These signals, which Chiu S, Amchin DB, Bhattacharjee T, Datta are produced by bacteria, serve as a proxy for the SS. 2022. A biophysical threshold for level of other bacterial cells in the environment biofilm formation. eLife 11:e76380. doi: and trigger intracellular signals which impact the 10.7554/eLife.76380 genes a cell expresses, and the lifestyle it will adopt. Once the biofilm is created, it is main- tained by the autoinducer molecules produced by the immobilized bacteria (Figure 1).
A Yet, how biofilms emerge and the exact condi- trip to the dentist is seldom fun, but it is often necessary to remove the sticky, tions that trigger their formation remain a topic slimy deposits (or biofilms) that adhere to of intense research. In general, motile and biofilm our teeth and gums. These structures are formed lifestyles are studied separately, making it diffi- by bacteria that have adopted a static lifestyle in cult to predict with certainty whether a species of the moist and warm environment of our mouths. bacteria will form a biofilm under certain condi- In fact, biofilms are common in a range of natural, tions. Now, in eLife, Sujit Datta and colleagues at clinical, and industrial settings, where they can be Princeton University – including Jenna Moore-Ott dangerous for our health or contaminate equip- as first author – report having developed a unified ments (Davey and O’Toole, 2000; Hall-Stoodley framework that can examine both states simulta- et al., 2004). neously (Moore-Ott et al., 2022). In general, bacteria can either exist in a mobile, The team developed a series of equations that ‘planktonic’ state where they freely disperse and describe the transition from planktonic state to explore their environment for nutrients, or stay biofilm under a range of parameters covering all statically as ‘biofilms’, a communal state where possible conditions. The resulting model, which the cells share resources and are protected from describes the behavior of the cells, is governed harmful conditions (Adler, 1966). What triggers by two main factors: nutrient consumption and bacteria to transition from a mobile state to a bacterial dispersion in the motile state. Both biofilm lifestyle depends on how each species parameters focus on the competition between responds to certain environmental conditions. bacterial dispersion and the production of auto- The factors include nutrient availability, produc- inducer molecules. tion of certain chemical triggers as well as cellular Based on the model, Moore-Ott et al. predict parameters - such as bacterial concentration, two conditions where the concentration of auto- proliferation rate, or diffusing behavior (Berg, inducers remains under the threshold required Copyright Pradeep and Arratia. 2018). for biofilm formation. In the first case, nutrients This article is distributed under the Overall, however, the switch to (immo- are consumed at such a high rate that the autoin- terms of the Creative Commons ducers are produced (by bacteria) in limited quan- bile) biofilm formation is controlled by bacte- Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use and redistribution rial dispersion (which is dependent on nutrient tities; there is simply not enough autoinducer provided that the original author and levels), and it occurs when the concentration of ‘production’ time. In the second case, bacteria source are credited. bacterial molecules known as autoinducers goes diffuse and therefore disperse at increased levels
Pradeep and Arratia. eLife 2022;11:e80891. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.80891 1 of 3
Insight Bacteria | To biofilm or not to biofilm
Figure 1. Visual representation of the model for biofilm formation. Bacteria can exist in two different states: a motile state in which they can disperse freely around their environment (top), and an immobile state in which they live together in static as a biofilm (bottom). The red gradient in the biofilm box indicates to which extent bacterial density is increasing in the biofilm from left to right alongside rising nutrient concentrations (grey gradient). The motile bacteria move towards increasing nutrient concentration to the right. The concentration of autodiffusers (molecules produced by bacteria which trigger biofilm formation; blue gradient), is highest close to the biofilm and decreases further away.
(possibly because of environmental conditions), For example, the framework assumes that biofilm limiting the accumulation of the autoinducers in formation and the production of autoinducers one location. in a nutrient-dependent fashion are irrevers- In addition, Moore-Ott et al. also pinpointed a ible, two assumptions which can be relaxed for third factor the ratio between the time it takes for certain species of bacteria (Bridges and Bassler, nutrients to be consumed and for autoinducer to 2019). In addition, more complex elements be produced, which affects how fast the biofilm could be added to tailor the framework to a forms and how large they become. For instance, specific system, such as incorporating how the a larger ratio between these two timescales biofilm is spatially organized, inputting the role results in the biofilm proliferating, while a smaller of secondary signaling molecules which fine-tune ratio slows down the formation of the biofilm. the impact of autoinducers, or acknowledging Overall, the combination of these three param- how individual cells may respond differently to eters – nutrient consumption, bacterial disper- sion, and ratio of consumption to production signals (Bhattacharjee et al., 2022; Jenal et al., time scale – determine which lifestyle a specific 2017; Nadezhdin et al., 2020). Nevertheless, species adopts, and at what concentration. this work represents an important step forward in While nutrient consumption and bacte- our quantitative understanding of biofilm forma- rial dispersion vary between different species tion, which in turn will help us in both fighting of bacteria and across environments, they are and harnessing biofilms, which can be useful in quantifiable through experiments. This means wound healing, bioremediation, or functional that the model provides a unique general frame- materials production. work that can be used to predict which state a given bacterial species will adopt under specific Shravan Pradeep is in the Department of Earth and circumstances. Environmental Sciences University of Pennsylvania, Further work should aim to refine the model Philadelphia, United States so it can become closer to real life conditions. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7483-2385
Pradeep and Arratia. eLife 2022;11:e80891. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.80891 2 of 3
Insight Bacteria | To biofilm or not to biofilm
Paulo E Arratia is in the Department of Mechanical doi.org/10.1128/MMBR.64.4.847-867.2000, PMID:
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