Gram-negative bacteria can also form pellicles

作者：Armitano Joshua; Mejean Vincent; Jourlin Castelli Cecile^*

来源：Environmental Microbiology Reports, 2014, 6(6): 534-544.

DOI：10.1111/1758-2229.12171

There is a growing interest in the bacterial pellicle, a biofilm floating at the air-liquid interface. Pellicles have been well studied in the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis, but far less in Gram-negative bacteria, where pellicle studies have mostly focused on matrix components rather than on the regulatory cascades involved. Several Gram-negative bacteria, including pathogenic bacteria, have been shown to be able to form a pellicle under static conditions. Here, we summarize the growing body of knowledge about pellicle formation in Gram-negative bacteria, especially about the components of the pellicle matrix. We also propose that the pellicle is a specific biofilm, and that its formation involves particular processes. Since this lifestyle concerns a growing number of bacteria, its properties undoubtedly deserve further investigation.

• 出版日期2014-12