Cell surface physicochemistry alters biofilm development ofpseudomonas aeruginosalipopolysaccharide mutants

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Abstract
The hydrophobic and electrostatic characteristics of bacterial cell surfaces were compared with attachment proclivity and biomass accumulation over time between wildtype Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype O6 (possesses A and B band LPS), and three LPS‐deficient mutants, viz. A28 (A+B‐), R5 (A+B‐), and Gt700 (A‐B‐). The hydrophobic character of each serotype was determined by hydrophobic interaction chromatography and salt‐aggregation, and strains were ranked similarly by each method, viz. R5 ≥ A28 > Gt700 > 06. The anionic characteristics of cell‐surfaces were determined by electrostatic interaction chromatography and by zeta‐potential measurements, and ranked R5 > A28 ≥ Gt700 > 06. Adhesion and biofilm accumulation on stainless steel were significantly different between strains, following the order R5 > A28 >> O6>Gt700. Biofilm rankings were similar on glass, a second hydrophilic substratum. The mutant strains with a strongly hydrophobic character (R5 and A28) demonstrated a significantly greater capacity to form biofilms. These adherent mutants also appeared to have a more anionic cell surface, which may have played a role in biofilm formation on the hydrophilic substrata.