“It’s a gut feeling” –Escherichia colibiofilm formation in the gastrointestinal tract environment

Abstract

Escherichia coli can commonly be found, either as a commensal, probiotic or a pathogen, in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Biofilm formation and its regulation is surprisingly variable, although distinct regulatory pattern of red, dry and rough (rdar) biofilm formation arise in certain pathovars and even clones. In the GI tract, environmental conditions, signals from the host and from commensal bacteria contribute to shape E. coli biofilm formation within the multi-faceted multicellular communities in a complex and integrated fashion. Although some major regulatory networks, adhesion factors and extracellular matrix components constituting E. coli biofilms have been recognized, these processes have mainly been characterized in vitro and in the context of interaction of E. coli strains with intestinal epithelial cells. However, direct observation of E. coli cells in situ, and the vast number of genes encoding surface appendages on the core or accessory genome of E. coli suggests the complexity of the biofilm process to be far from being fully understood. In this review, we summarize biofilm formation mechanisms of commensal, probiotic and pathogenic E. coli in the context of the gastrointestinal tract.

Adaptation Through Lifestyle Switching Sculpts the Fitness Landscape of Evolving Populations: Implications for the Selection of Drug-Resistant Bacteria at Low Drug Pressures

“…Transition from planktonic to pellicle/biofilm-like lifestyle has been repeatedly observed in laboratory and clinical E. coli populations under various environmental conditions (Jefferson 2004;Hadjifrangiskou et al 2012;Rossi et al 2018). Though in our study a genetic rearrangement mediated this lifestyle shift, bacterial populations also demonstrate purely phenotypic changes in lifestyle that represent additional mechanisms of adaptation that may be potentially accessible under low drug environments.…”

Antibiofilm and Antiadhesive Activities of Different Synbiotics

“…Indeed, pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 regulate flagellar expression and motility based on relative composition and concentration of SFCA by an unknown mechanism [26]. Probiotics CFS could also contain bacteriocins that are involved in their antimicrobial activity, in particular subtilosin by Bacillus subtilis prevents biofilm formation by inhibiting bacterial quorum sensing [27].…”

Alterations of c‐di‐GMP turnover proteins modulate semi‐constitutive rdar biofilm formation in commensal and uropathogenic Escherichia coli

“…coli strains typically colonize the human gastrointestinal tract, being one of the first colonizers. Biofilm formation of E. coli in the gut has been reviewed recently (Rossi et al, 2017). Uropathogenic E. coli UPEC can also cause intra-and extraintestinal diseases such as urinary tract infection (UTI) (Croxen & Finlay, 2010;Croxen et al, 2013;Kaper, Nataro, & Mobley, 2004;Leimbach, Hacker, & Dobrindt, 2013;Nataro & Kaper, 1998).…”