Pseudomonas aeruginosa is capable of natural transformation in biofilms
File(s)995_micro000956.pdf (723.2 KB)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Natural transformation is a mechanism that enables competent bacteria to acquire naked, exogenous DNA from the environment. It is a key process that facilitates the dissemination of antibiotic resistance and virulence determinants throughout bacterial populations. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen that produces large quantities of extracellular DNA (eDNA) that is required for biofilm formation. P. aeruginosa has a remarkable level of genome plasticity and diversity that suggests a high degree of horizontal gene transfer and recombination but is thought to be incapable of natural transformation. Here we show that P. aeruginosa possesses homologues of all proteins known to be involved in natural transformation in other bacterial species. We found that P. aeruginosa in biofilms is competent for natural transformation of both genomic and plasmid DNA. Furthermore, we demonstrate that type-IV pili (T4P) facilitate but are not absolutely essential for natural transformation in P. aeruginosa.
Date Issued
2020-08-04
Date Acceptance
2020-07-11
Citation
Microbiology, 2020, 10 (166), pp.995-1003
ISSN
1350-0872
Publisher
Microbiology Society
Start Page
995
End Page
1003
Journal / Book Title
Microbiology
Volume
10
Issue
166
Copyright Statement
© The authors, 2020. The definitive peer reviewed, edited version of this article is published in Microbiology Nolan et al., Microbiology
DOI 10.1099/mic.0.000956
DOI 10.1099/mic.0.000956
License URL
Sponsor
Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Imperial College London
Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Identifier
https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/docserver/fulltext/micro/166/10/995_micro000956.pdf?expires=1606840026&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=25562305EC18A71A8A5D3F832739D094
Grant Number
VIA 070
Subjects
Microbiology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2020-08-04