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Detection of Biofilm-Grown Aspergillus fumigatus by Means of Atomic Force Spectroscopy: Ultrastructural Effects of Alginate Lyase

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2012

M. Papi ,
A. Maiorana ,
F. Bugli ,
R. Torelli ,
B. Posteraro ,
G. Maulucci ,
M. De Spirito  and
M. Sanguinetti
M. Papi
Affiliation:
Istituto di Fisica, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, L. go F. Vito 1, 00168 Roma, Italy
A. Maiorana
Affiliation:
Istituto di Fisica, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, L. go F. Vito 1, 00168 Roma, Italy
F. Bugli
Affiliation:
Istituto di Istituto di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, L. go F. Vito 1, 00168 Roma, Italy
R. Torelli
Affiliation:
Istituto di Istituto di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, L. go F. Vito 1, 00168 Roma, Italy
B. Posteraro
Affiliation:
Istituto di Istituto di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, L. go F. Vito 1, 00168 Roma, Italy
G. Maulucci
Affiliation:
Istituto di Fisica, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, L. go F. Vito 1, 00168 Roma, Italy
M. De Spirito*
Affiliation:
Istituto di Fisica, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, L. go F. Vito 1, 00168 Roma, Italy
M. Sanguinetti
Affiliation:
Istituto di Istituto di Microbiologia, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore, L. go F. Vito 1, 00168 Roma, Italy
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: m.papi@rm.unicatt.it
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Abstract

Aspergillus fumigatus has become a leading cause of fungal morbidity and mortality, especially in immunocompromised patients. This fungus is able to grow as a multicellular community and produce a hydrophobic extracellular matrix (ECM), mainly composed of galactomannan and α-1,3 glucans, to protect itself from host defenses and antimicrobial drugs. This matrix envelops the fungus hyphae, binding them into a contiguous sheath on the colony surface, forming a biofilm and increasing the fungal resistance to adverse environmental factors. Adherence to host cells and resistance to physical removal play a key role in fungal colonization and invasion of the host and in a wide range of infections. Here we show that, by using atomic force spectroscopy, it is possible to exploit the peculiar hydrophobicity of the biofilm components (i.e., cell walls, ECM) to detect the biofilm spread, its growth, and lysis on rough surfaces. By means of this approach, we demonstrate that alginate lyase, an enzyme known to reduce negatively charged alginate levels in microbial biofilms, reduces the biofilm adhesion forces suggesting a loss of ECM from the biofilm, which could be used to enhance pharmacological treatments.

Keywords

biofilmfungiatomic force microscopyadhesionAspergillus fumigatusatomic force spectroscopyextracellular matrixhydrophobicityalginate
Type
Biological Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 18 , Issue 5 , October 2012 , pp. 1088 - 1094
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2012

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