Recent Advances on Filamentous Fungal Biofilms for Industrial Uses

Gutiérrez-Correa, Marcel; Ludeña, Yvette; Ramage, Gordon; Villena, Gretty K.

doi:10.1007/s12010-012-9555-5

Cited by 68 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 199 publications

(186 reference statements)

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“…Such biofilms can be found in natural, industrial, and medical environments and can be employed for a variety of biotechnological applications (3)(4)(5). However, these structured communities also have great significance for public health, as biofilm microbial cells exhibit increased tolerance to antimicrobial agents (6).…”

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confidence: 99%

Fungal β-1,3-Glucan Increases Ofloxacin Tolerance of Escherichia coli in a Polymicrobial E. coli/Candida albicans Biofilm

Brucker

Tan

Vints

et al. 2015

Antimicrob Agents Chemother

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cIn the past, biofilm-related research has focused mainly on axenic biofilms. However, in nature, biofilms are often composed of multiple species, and the resulting polymicrobial interactions influence industrially and clinically relevant outcomes such as performance and drug resistance. In this study, we show that Escherichia coli does not affect Candida albicans tolerance to amphotericin or caspofungin in an E. coli/C. albicans biofilm. In contrast, ofloxacin tolerance of E. coli is significantly increased in a polymicrobial E. coli/C. albicans biofilm compared to its tolerance in an axenic E. coli biofilm. The increased ofloxacin tolerance of E. coli is mainly biofilm specific, as ofloxacin tolerance of E. coli is less pronounced in polymicrobial E. coli/C. albicans planktonic cultures. Moreover, we found that ofloxacin tolerance of E. coli decreased significantly when E. coli/C. albicans biofilms were treated with matrix-degrading enzymes such as the ␤-1,3-glucan-degrading enzyme lyticase. In line with a role for ␤-1,3-glucan in mediating ofloxacin tolerance of E. coli in a biofilm, we found that ofloxacin tolerance of E. coli increased even more in E. coli/C. albicans biofilms consisting of a high-␤-1,3-glucan-producing C. albicans mutant. In addition, exogenous addition of laminarin, a polysaccharide composed mainly of poly-␤-1,3-glucan, to an E. coli biofilm also resulted in increased ofloxacin tolerance. All these data indicate that ␤-1,3-glucan from C. albicans increases ofloxacin tolerance of E. coli in an E. coli/C. albicans biofilm. Biofilms are well-structured populations of microbial cells that are attached to a surface and embedded in a self-produced extracellular polymer matrix (1, 2). Such biofilms can be found in natural, industrial, and medical environments and can be employed for a variety of biotechnological applications (3-5). However, these structured communities also have great significance for public health, as biofilm microbial cells exhibit increased tolerance to antimicrobial agents (6). Biofilms consisting of a single pathogenic microorganism have been extensively studied in the past, and multiple processes and various structural elements have previously been implicated in axenic biofilm formation, i.e., biofilms consisting of one microbial species. For the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, examples include motility, virulence, surface appendages, polysaccharides, toxin-antitoxin modules, quorum sensing, and several stress responses (7,8). In the fungal opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans, morphological transition, quorum sensing, adhesins, and several transcription regulators are implicated in axenic biofilm development (9-12). However, as it is becoming increasingly clear that polymicrobial biofilms are the dominant form in nature, the scientific focus is shifting toward polymicrobial biofilms. Communication, cell wall components, metabolic commensalism, and competition for nutrients and physical resources are emerging as important factors influencing the physiology of ...

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confidence: 99%

Fungal β-1,3-Glucan Increases Ofloxacin Tolerance of Escherichia coli in a Polymicrobial E. coli/Candida albicans Biofilm

Brucker

Tan

Vints

et al. 2015

Antimicrob Agents Chemother

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“…Surface type impacted biofilm formation of C. elegans as observed previously (10), although the authors did not investigate the effect of vessel surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity as described in this article. The natural tendency of filamentous fungi is to grow adherent to surfaces, and the submerged free-floating growth is not a fungal natural way of living (25). The novel design of the CCF with enhanced surface area permitted natural growth, producing higher biomass in comparison to the EF, and thus, the CCF was a better reaction vessel in terms of volumetric productivity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main difference with biofilms is the quantity of liquid in the system being abundant in biofilms. Fermentation by filamentous fungal biofilms (FFB) is a homogeneous production system within a liquid environment based on the infrastructure of the SSF process with the productive efficiency of the SSF (25). So, the use of hydrophobic polyurethane foam in our experiments should not be considered cell immobilization or solid-state cultivation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced Biotransformation of Fluoranthene by Intertidally Derived Cunninghamella elegans under Biofilm-Based and Niche-Mimicking Conditions

Mitra

Pramanik

Banerjee

et al. 2013

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The aims of the investigation were to ascertain if surface attachment of Cunninghamella elegans and niche intertidal conditions provided in a bioreactor influenced biotransformation of fluoranthene by C. elegans. A newly designed polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) conico-cylindrical flask (CCF) holding eight equidistantly spaced rectangular strips mounted radially on a circular disc allowed comparison of fluoranthene biotransformation between CCFs with a hydrophobic surface (PMMA-CCF) and a hydrophilic glass surface (GS-CCF) and a 500-ml Erlenmeyer flask (EF). Fluoranthene biotransformation was higher by 22-fold, biofilm growth was higher by 3-fold, and cytochrome P450 gene expression was higher by 2.1-fold when C. elegans was cultivated with 2% inoculum as biofilm culture in PMMA-CCF compared to planktonic culture in EF. Biotransformation was enhanced by 7-fold with 10% inoculum. The temporal pattern of biofilm progression based on three-channel fluorescence detection by confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrated well-developed, stable biofilm with greater colocalization of fluoranthene within extracellular polymeric substances and filaments of the biofilm grown on PMMA in contrast to a glass surface. A bioreactor with discs rotating at 2 revolutions per day affording 6-hourly emersion and immersion mimicked the niche intertidal habitat of C. elegans and supported biofilm formation and transformation of fluoranthene. The amount of transformed metabolite was 3.5-fold, biofilm growth was 3-fold, and cytochrome P450 gene expression was 1.9-fold higher in the process mimicking the intertidal conditions than in a submerged process without disc rotation. In the CCF and reactor, where biofilm formation was comparatively greater, higher concentration of exopolysaccharides allowed increased mobilization of fluoranthene within the biofilm with consequential higher gene expression leading to enhanced volumetric productivity.

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“…The recently described Aspergillus bronchitis may also be biofi lm associated and is characterized by bronchial casts containing mycelia forming compact masses (Young et al 1970 ). It is clear that Aspergillus species form medically important biofi lms (Gutierrez-Correa et al 2012 ;Ramage et al 2011 ) and understanding their clinical role in is crucial, as with all biofi lms, these structures are highly resistant to antifungal therapy (Mowat et al 2008 ;Seidler et al 2008 ).…”

Section: Lower Airwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%