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Architecture and physiology of microbial biofilms.

Authors: Veronica, Lazăr; Mariana Carmen, Chifiriuc;

Architecture and physiology of microbial biofilms.

Abstract

The microbial biofilm, composed by a single or multiple species, is defined as a sessile community of microbial cells irreversibly attached to a substratum or an interface and also among them, embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances as their own products, exhibiting a modified phenotype concerning the rate of growth and gene transcription. The biofilm is considered a primitive form of cellular differentiation, with primitive circulatory system, homeostasis and "integrality", similar to eukaryotic tissues in their intercellular cooperation. A microbial biofilm is considered to be the most successful and competitive expression of the prokaryotic genome--biofilm cells being metabolically more efficient and well protected, exhibiting resistance to different stress factors, including host defence mechanisms and antibiotics. The ability of the bacterial cells to behave as a community is the result of a complex intra- and inter-cellular communication based on a signaling system regulated by quorum-sensing and response (QS), mechanism ubiquitous in bacteria, and implicated in the regulation of very different and complex physiological processes, depending on cellular density. The language used for this intercellular communication is based on small, self-generated signal molecules known as bacterial pheromones with different chemical structures (N-homoserine lactones and derivatives in Gram-negative, and octapeptides, amino acids respectively in Gram-positive bacteria). The signal molecules level required for a specific response is very low in comparison with those of intracellular hormones. The aim of this review is to present the development, architecture and physiology of microbial biofilms.

Related Organizations
Keywords

Biofilms, Quorum Sensing, Bacterial Adhesion, Signal Transduction

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    influence
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    This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
17
Average
Top 10%
Top 10%
gold