Biofilms are a culture of microbial cells, grown on surfaces, surrounded by an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Biofilm research is an imperative area of study, as biofilms are known to block the penetration of antibiotics and form antibiotic-resistant growth environments on medical implants, leading to chronic infections. The purpose of this project is to study the impact of environmental sugars on biofilm formation by E. coli bacteria to gain further insight into how different sugars influence metabolic and signaling pathways involved in biofilm formation. After examining a series of different sugars, this project focused on phenotypic changes observed during biofilm formation with differing concentrations of the disaccharide lactose. In order to record phenotypic changes in biofilm formation, we employed several methods. We used a crystal violet assay to observe the total amount of biofilm growth. We incubated E. coli cultures at two different temperatures, 28 and 37 °C, with varying concentrations of sugars. Biofilm growth was significantly affected by the type of sugar, its concentration, growth temperature, and growth medium. After initially screening several different sugars, we chose lactose to investigate in further detail. After growing biofilm with added concentrations of lactose, we extracted the EPS layers of the biofilm to determine the concentration of proteins and carbohydrates included in the EPS using standard colorimetric methods. The results showed discernible differences in both total protein and total sugar concentration in the EPS layers as the concentration of lactose in the environment increased, depending on different temperatures and nutrient availability. In future studies, we will examine the transcriptomic changes that the bacteria goes through in different types and concentrations of sugars to gain further insight into the metabolic pathways that affect biofilm growth.

Influence of sugars on biofilm formation and composition in E. coli

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