bacterial cell surface heterogeneity a pathogens disguise细菌细胞表面的异质性病原体的伪装.pdf

Pearls Bacterial Cell Surface Heterogeneity: A Pathogen’s Disguise Henny C. van der Mei*, Henk J. Busscher Department of Biomedical Engineering, W. J. Kolff Institute, University Medical Center and University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands Why Is It Advantageous for Microorganisms to be a fluorescent probe or have to be genetically modified in order to Able to Disguise Themselves? insert a fluorescent reporter gene. Using fluorescent reporter genes, Baty et al. [9], for instance, demonstrated that subpopu- All interactions of microorganisms with their environment are lations of the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. S91 switched surface phenomena, and therewith involve the properties of the on metabolic genes triggered by chitin-coated surfaces. microbial cell surface [1] and its possible disguise or hidden Particulate microelectrophoresis is possibly the only technique identity by an altered appearance. Since appearance is what one able to reliably quantitate cell surface heterogeneity in axenic initially sees upon first encounter, a disguise always refers to cultures without prior cell labeling. In particulate microelectro- surface properties, like cloths for people and hydrophobicity or phoresis, microorganisms are suspended in a liquid phase. A flow charge for microorganisms. chamber is subsequently filled with this suspension, and a voltage Antimicrobials, for instance, first have to approach an organism between 75 and 150 V is applied over the chamber [10]. and interact with