Impact of D-Sorbitol on the Expression of Biofilm-related Genes in PHL628 and Nissle 1917 E. coli

Location

CELA & Mary Church Terrell Library, First Floor

Document Type

Poster - Open Access

Start Date

4-25-2025 12:00 PM

End Date

4-25-2025 2:00 PM

Research Program

The National Science Foundation (MCB-2226953)

Abstract

We investigated how the sugar D-sorbitol changes biofilm-related gene expression in two strains of E. coli: PHL628, a robust biofilm former, and Nissle 1917, the only known probiotic strain of E. coli. Prior work in our laboratory demonstrated that certain sugars, like D-sorbitol, modulate biofilm growth. We hypothesized that increasing D-sorbitol concentration would alter biofilm-related gene expression in both Nissle1917 and PHL628 strains of E. coli. In planktonic and biofilm samples, we observed two biofilm-related genes: bhsA, which is involved in cell adhesion and stress response, and csgA, which is involved in curli production. We have expanded our investigation to two additional genes, ompF, an outer membrane porin, and srlA, an enzyme used in the sorbitol-specific phosphotransferase system. Understanding which genes and pathways are responsive to different nutrients provides insight into the conditions most suitable for preventing or enhancing biofilm formation.

Keywords:

Biofilm, Antibiotics, Sugars, qPCR

Notes

Presenter: Koosh Nadkarni

Major

Biochemistry

Award

Research Corporation for Science Advancement Cottrell Scholar Award

Project Mentor(s)

Lisa Ryno, Chemistry and Biochemistry

2025

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Apr 25th, 12:00 PM Apr 25th, 2:00 PM

Impact of D-Sorbitol on the Expression of Biofilm-related Genes in PHL628 and Nissle 1917 E. coli

CELA & Mary Church Terrell Library, First Floor

We investigated how the sugar D-sorbitol changes biofilm-related gene expression in two strains of E. coli: PHL628, a robust biofilm former, and Nissle 1917, the only known probiotic strain of E. coli. Prior work in our laboratory demonstrated that certain sugars, like D-sorbitol, modulate biofilm growth. We hypothesized that increasing D-sorbitol concentration would alter biofilm-related gene expression in both Nissle1917 and PHL628 strains of E. coli. In planktonic and biofilm samples, we observed two biofilm-related genes: bhsA, which is involved in cell adhesion and stress response, and csgA, which is involved in curli production. We have expanded our investigation to two additional genes, ompF, an outer membrane porin, and srlA, an enzyme used in the sorbitol-specific phosphotransferase system. Understanding which genes and pathways are responsive to different nutrients provides insight into the conditions most suitable for preventing or enhancing biofilm formation.