IAI Accepts, published online ahead of print on 15 June 2009

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ASM journals Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Falsetta, M. L. Articles by Apicella, M. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Falsetta, M. L. Articles by Apicella, M. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infect. Immun. doi:10.1128/IAI.00036-09
Copyright (c) 2009, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Transcriptional profiling identifies the metabolic phenotype of gonococcal biofilm

Megan L. Falsetta, Thomas B. Bair, Shan Chi Ku, Rachel N. vanden Hoven, Christopher T. Steichen, Alastair G. McEwan, Michael P. Jennings, and Michael A. Apicella^*

Department of Microbiology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242; School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane Qld 4072, Australia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: michael-apicella{at}uiowa.edu.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the etiologic agent of gonorrhea, is frequently asymptomatic in women, often leading to chronic infections. One factor contributing to this may be biofilm formation. N. gonorrhoeae can form biofilms over glass and plastic surfaces. There is also evidence that biofilm formation may occur during natural cervical infection. To further study the mechanism of gonococcal biofilm formation, transcriptional profiles of N. gonorrhoeae biofilm were compared to planktonic profiles. Biofilm RNA was extracted from N. gonorrhoeae 1291 grown for 48 hours in continuous flow chambers over glass. Planktonic RNA was extracted from the biofilm runoff. When biofilm was compared to planktonic growth, 3.8 % of the genome was differentially regulated. Genes that were highly up-regulated in biofilm included aniA, norB, and ccp. These genes encode enzymes that are central to anaerobic respiratory metabolism and stress tolerance. Down-regulated genes included members of the nuo gene cluster, which encodes the proton-translocating NADH dehydrogenase. Furthermore, it was observed that aniA, ccp, and norB insertional mutants are attenuated for biofilm formation over glass and transformed human cervical epithelial cells (THCEC). These data suggest that biofilm formation in the gonococcus may represent a response that is linked to the control of nitric oxide steady state levels during infection of cervical epithelial cells.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Falsetta, M. L., McEwan, A. G., Jennings, M. P., Apicella, M. A. (2010). Anaerobic Metabolism Occurs in the Substratum of Gonococcal Biofilms and May Be Sustained in Part by Nitric Oxide. Infect. Immun. 78: 2320-2328 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Edwards, J. L. (2010). Neisseria gonorrhoeae Survival during Primary Human Cervical Epithelial Cell Infection Requires Nitric Oxide and Is Augmented by Progesterone. Infect. Immun. 78: 1202-1213 [Abstract] [Full Text]