The roles of intracellular and extracellular calcium in Bacillus subtilis biofilms
Alona Keren-Paz,
Harsh Maan,
Iris Karunker,
Tsviya Olender,
Sergey Kapishnikov,
Simon Dersch,
Elena Kartvelishvily,
Sharon G. Wolf,
Assaf Gal,
Peter L. Graumann,
Ilana Kolodkin-Gal
Affiliations
Alona Keren-Paz
Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Harsh Maan
Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Iris Karunker
Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Tsviya Olender
Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Sergey Kapishnikov
Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Simon Dersch
Centre for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
Elena Kartvelishvily
Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Sharon G. Wolf
Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Assaf Gal
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Peter L. Graumann
Centre for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
Ilana Kolodkin-Gal
Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel; Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel; Corresponding author
Summary: In nature, bacteria reside in biofilms– multicellular differentiated communities held together by an extracellular matrix. This work identified a novel subpopulation—mineral-forming cells—that is essential for biofilm formation in Bacillus subtilis biofilms. This subpopulation contains an intracellular calcium-accumulating niche, in which the formation of a calcium carbonate mineral is initiated. As the biofilm colony develops, this mineral grows in a controlled manner, forming a functional macrostructure that serves the entire community. Consistently, biofilm development is prevented by the inhibition of calcium uptake. Our results provide a clear demonstration of the orchestrated production of calcite exoskeleton, critical to morphogenesis in simple prokaryotes.
