PgmNr Y3017: Natural variation in the cell adhesin, FLO11, and its effects on biofilm formation.

Authors:
H. A. Murphy; B. A. Lenhart; B. K. Meeks


Institutes
William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA.


Keyword: Cell Cycle/Growth Control/Metabolism

Abstract:

A biofilm is a type of cooperative microbial community that is found wherever microorganisms are found— in aquatic and terrestrial systems, in living and dead tissues, on medical devices and dental surfaces. These communities are anchored to a surface and enmeshed in a protective extracellular matrix, properties which lead to increased resistance to antimicrobials and environmental stresses. Recent work has demonstrated that some natural isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are capable of forming complex, structured biofilm-like colonies, a phenotype known as complex colony morphology (CCM). The flocculin, Flo11p, is required for CCM and is involved in cell-cell and cell-surface adhesion. In order to investigate the role of FLO11 in natural cellular interactions, the gene and its 2kb regulatory region were sequenced in 55 isolates from various geographic and ecological niches using PacBio technology. These data exhibited a large amount of genetic variation, suggesting that numerous alleles are segregating in the global population and that they may affect inter-cellular interactions. Allele swaps were performed among a subset of the strains to determine the effect of the alleles on biofilm formation and showed a detectable effect of allele status. Finally, mixed-strain colonies were assayed to determine whether the different FLO11 alleles changed the interactions between the individual cells in the biofilm.



Yeast Database Genetic Index
1. gene symbol: Flo11; systematic name: YIR019C