This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Smith, C. S.
Right arrow Articles by Brun, Y. V.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Smith, C. S.
Right arrow Articles by Brun, Y. V.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, February 2003, p. 1432-1442, Vol. 185, No. 4
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.4.1432-1442.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Identification of Genes Required for Synthesis of the Adhesive Holdfast in Caulobacter crescentus

Chris S. Smith, Aaron Hinz, Diane Bodenmiller, David E. Larson, and Yves V. Brun*

Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405

Received 11 July 2002/ Accepted 1 November 2002

Adhesion to both abiotic and biotic surfaces by the gram-negative prothescate bacterium Caulobacter crescentus is mediated by a polar organelle called the "holdfast," which enables the bacterium to form stable monolayer biofilms. The holdfast, a complex polysaccharide composed in part of N-acetylglucosamine, localizes to the tip of the stalk (a thin cylindrical extension of the cell wall and membranes). We report here the isolation of adhesion mutants with transposon insertions in an uncharacterized gene cluster involved in holdfast biogenesis (hfs) as well as in previously identified polar development genes (podJ and pleC), and the holdfast attachment genes (hfa). Clean deletions of three of the four genes in the hfs gene cluster (hfsDAB) resulted in a severe holdfast biogenesis phenotype. These mutants do not bind to surfaces or to a fluorescently labeled lectin, specific for N-acetylglucosamine. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that the hfsDAB mutants fail to synthesize a holdfast at the stalk tip. The predicted hfs gene products have significant sequence similarity to proteins necessary for exopolysaccharide export in gram-negative bacteria. HfsA has sequence similarity to GumC from Xanthomonas campestris, which is involved in exopolysaccharide export in the periplasm. HfsD has sequence similarity to Wza from Escherichia coli, an outer membrane protein involved in secretion of polysaccharide through the outer membrane. HfsB is a novel protein involved in holdfast biogenesis. These data suggest that the hfs genes play an important role in holdfast export.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biology, Jordan Hall 142, Indiana University, 1001 E. 3rd St., Bloomington, IN 47405-3700. Phone: (812) 855-8860. Fax: (812) 855-6705. E-mail: ybrun{at}bio.indiana.edu.

Journal of Bacteriology, February 2003, p. 1432-1442, Vol. 185, No. 4
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.4.1432-1442.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Karatan, E., Watnick, P. (2009). Signals, Regulatory Networks, and Materials That Build and Break Bacterial Biofilms. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 73: 310-347 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Cuthbertson, L., Mainprize, I. L., Naismith, J. H., Whitfield, C. (2009). Pivotal Roles of the Outer Membrane Polysaccharide Export and Polysaccharide Copolymerase Protein Families in Export of Extracellular Polysaccharides in Gram-Negative Bacteria. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 73: 155-177 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Toh, E., Kurtz, H. D. Jr., Brun, Y. V. (2008). Characterization of the Caulobacter crescentus Holdfast Polysaccharide Biosynthesis Pathway Reveals Significant Redundancy in the Initiating Glycosyltransferase and Polymerase Steps. J. Bacteriol. 190: 7219-7231 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ma, L., Jackson, K. D., Landry, R. M., Parsek, M. R., Wozniak, D. J. (2006). Analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Conditional Psl Variants Reveals Roles for the Psl Polysaccharide in Adhesion and Maintaining Biofilm Structure Postattachment. J. Bacteriol. 188: 8213-8221 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Badger, J. H., Hoover, T. R., Brun, Y. V., Weiner, R. M., Laub, M. T., Alexandre, G., Mrazek, J., Ren, Q., Paulsen, I. T., Nelson, K. E., Khouri, H. M., Radune, D., Sosa, J., Dodson, R. J., Sullivan, S. A., Rosovitz, M. J., Madupu, R., Brinkac, L. M., Durkin, A. S., Daugherty, S. C., Kothari, S. P., Giglio, M. G., Zhou, L., Haft, D. H., Selengut, J. D., Davidsen, T. M., Yang, Q., Zafar, N., Ward, N. L. (2006). Comparative Genomic Evidence for a Close Relationship between the Dimorphic Prosthecate Bacteria Hyphomonas neptunium and Caulobacter crescentus.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 6841-6850 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Levi, A., Jenal, U. (2006). Holdfast Formation in Motile Swarmer Cells Optimizes Surface Attachment during Caulobacter crescentus Development.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 5315-5318 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tsang, P. H., Li, G., Brun, Y. V., Freund, L. B., Tang, J. X. (2006). Adhesion of single bacterial cells in the micronewton range. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103: 5764-5768 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Entcheva-Dimitrov, P., Spormann, A. M. (2004). Dynamics and Control of Biofilms of the Oligotrophic Bacterium Caulobacter crescentus. J. Bacteriol. 186: 8254-8266 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bodenmiller, D., Toh, E., Brun, Y. V. (2004). Development of Surface Adhesion in Caulobacter crescentus. J. Bacteriol. 186: 1438-1447 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»