Biofilm formation is not a prerequisite for production of the antibacterial compound tropodithietic acid inPhaeobacter inhibensDSM17395

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Abstract
The goal of this study was to investigate if biofilm formation on population level is a physiological requirement for antagonism in Phaeobacter inhibens DSM17395, since the antibiotic compound tropodithietic acid (TDA) is produced by several Roseobacter clade species during growth as multicellular aggregates or biofilms at the air-liquid interface and is induced on single cell level upon attachment. A mutant library was created by Tn5 transposon insertion and 22 TDA-positive (brown) mutants with decreased biofilm formation or adhesion, and eight TDA-negative (white) mutants with increased biofilm formation or adhesion were selected. None of the selected biofilm-overproducing white mutants showed any antibiotic activity, while all brown mutants with reduced or disabled biofilm formation produced the antibacterial compound. Sequencing analysis indicated that genes that are likely involved in EPS/LPS production, motility and chemotaxis, and redox regulation play a role in biofilm formation and/or adhesion in P. inhibens DSM17395. Cell aggregation and biofilm formation are not physiological prerequisites for TDA production. This study contributes to the understanding of TDA production in P. inhibens, which has great potential as a probiotic in marine larviculture.
Funding Information
  • DTU Ørsted postdoctoral programme
  • DTU National Food Institute
  • Danish Research Council for Strategic Research/the Programme Commission on Health, Food and Welfare (project 12-132390)
  • Danish Strategic Research Council (project 12-132390)

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