Center for Biofilm Engineering
Abstract:
"Activity and Stability of a Recombinant Plasmid-Borne TCE Degradative Pathway in Biofilm Cultures"
98-021 The activity and stability of the TCE degradative plasmid TOM31C
in the transconjugant host Burkholderia cepacia 17616 was studied in selective
and nonselective biofilm cultures. The activity of plasmid TOM31C in
biofilm cultures was measured by both TCE degradative studies and the expression of the
Tom pathway. Plasmid loss was measured using continuous flow, rotating annular
biofilm reactors, and various analytical and microbiological techniques. The
probability of plasmid loss in the biofilm cultures was determined using a
non-steady-state biofilm plasmid loss model that was derived from a simple mass balance,
incorporating results f rom biofilm growth and plasmid loss studies. The plasmid loss
model also utilized Andrew's inhibition growth kinetics and a biofilm detachment term.
Results from these biofilm studies were compared to similar studies performed on
suspended cultures of Burkholderia cepacia 17616-TOM31C to determine
if biofilm growth has a significant effect on either plasmid retention or Tom pathway
expression (i.e., TCE degradation rates). Results show that the activity and
expression of the Tom pathway measured in biofilm cultures was significantly less than
that found in suspended cultures at comparable growth rates. The data obtained from
these studies fit the plasmid loss model well, providing plasmid loss probability factors
for biofilm cultures that were equivalent to those previously found for suspended
cultures. The probability of plasmid loss in the B. cepacia 17616-TOM31C
biofilm cultures was equivalent to those found in the suspended cultures. The
results indicate that the biofilm growth neither helps nor hinders plasmid stability.
In both the suspended and the biofilm cultures, plasmid retention and expression
could be maintained using selective growth substrates and/or an appropriate
plasmid-selective antibiotic.
Sharp, R.R., J.D. Bryers, and W.G. Jones, "Activity and Stability of a Recombinant
Plasmid-Borne TCE Degradative Pathway in Biofilm Cultures," Biotechnol.
Bioeng.,
59(3):318-327 (1998).
|
sign
take you to sites with content for which the CBE is not responsible.