Quantification of Extracellular DNA Network Abundance and Architecture within Streptococcus gordonii Biofilms Reveals Modulatory Factors
Hannah J. Serrage, Lucy Fitzgibbon, Dominic Alibhai, Stephen Cross, Nadia Rostami, Alison A. Jack, Catherine Lawler, Nicholas S. Jakubovics, Mark A. Jepson, Angela H. Nobbs
Abstract
Extracellular DNA (eDNA) is critical for maintaining the structural integrity of many microbial biofilms, making it an attractive target for the management of biofilms. However, our knowledge and targeting of eDNA are currently hindered by a lack of tools for the quantitative assessment of eDNA networks within biofilms. Here, we demonstrate use of a novel image acquisition and analysis platform with the capacity to reliably monitor the abundance and architecture of eDNA networks. Application of this tool to Streptococcus gordonii biofilms has provided new insights into how eDNA networks are stabilized within the biofilm and the pathways that can regulate eDNA release. This highlights how exploitation of this novel imaging system across the wider field of biofilm research has potential to significantly advance interrogation of the mechanisms by which the eDNA network architecture develops, how it can influence biofilm properties, and how it may be targeted for therapeutic benefit.