TY - JOUR A1 - Scholz, G. A1 - Krahl, Thoralf A1 - Ahrens, M. A1 - Martineau, C. A1 - Buzaré, J.Y. A1 - Jäger, Christian A1 - Kemnitz, E. T1 - 115In and 19F MAS NMR study of (NH4)3InF6 phases N2 - This study presents for the first time an NMR spectroscopic characterization of the room and high temperature phases of (NH4)3InF6 using 19F and 115In as probe nuclei. The reversible phase transition to the cubic phase at 353 K was followed by MAS NMR in situ. Static NMR experiments of the room temperature phase and MAS NMR experiments of the high temperature phase allowed the determination of the NMR parameters of both nuclei. Finally, the scalar In–F coupling, rarely observed in solid state NMR, is evidenced in both room and high temperature phases of (NH4)3InF6, and measured in the high temperature phase. KW - (NH4)3InF6 KW - 115In and 19F solid state NMR KW - XRD PY - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfluchem.2011.01.010 SN - 0022-1139 SN - 1873-3328 VL - 132 IS - 4 SP - 244 EP - 249 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-23475 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Valentin, J. A1 - Straub, H. A1 - Pietsch, Franziska A1 - Lemare, M. A1 - Ahrens, C. A1 - Schreiber, Frank A1 - Webb, J. A1 - van der Mei, H. A1 - Ren, Q. T1 - Role of the flagellar hook in the structural development and antibiotic tolerance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms N2 - Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms exhibit an intrinsic resistance to antibiotics and constitute a considerable clinical threat. In cystic fibrosis, a common feature of biofilms formed by P. aeruginosa in the airway is the occurrence of mutants deficient in flagellar motility. This study investigates the impact of flagellum deletion on the structure and antibiotic tolerance of P. aeruginosa biofilms, and highlights a role for the flagellum in adaptation and cell survival during biofilm development. Mutations in the flagellar hook protein FlgE influence greatly P. aeruginosa biofilm structuring and antibiotic tolerance. Phenotypic analysis of the flgE knockout mutant compared to the wild type (WT) reveal increased fitness under planktonic conditions, reduced initial adhesion but enhanced formation of microcolony aggregates in a microfluidic environment, and decreased expression of genes involved in exopolysaccharide formation. Biofilm cells of the flgE knock-out mutant display enhanced tolerance towards multiple antibiotics, whereas its planktonic cells show similar resistance to the WT. Confocal microscopy of biofilms demonstrates that gentamicin does not affect the viability of cells located in the inner part of the flgE knock-out mutant biofilms due to reduced penetration. These findings suggest that deficiency in flagellar proteins like FlgE in biofilms and in cystic fibrosis infections represent phenotypic and evolutionary adaptations that alter the structure of P. aeruginosa biofilms conferring increased antibiotic tolerance. KW - Antimicrobial resistance KW - Bacteria KW - Biofilms KW - Biocides PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-541113 SN - 1751-7370 VL - 16 IS - 4 SP - 1176 EP - 1186 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-54111 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Valentin, Jules D. P. A1 - Altenried, Stefanie A1 - Varadarajan, Adithi R. A1 - Ahrens, Christian H. A1 - Schreiber, Frank A1 - Webb, Jeremy S. A1 - van der Mei, Henny C. A1 - Ren, Qun T1 - Identification of Potential Antimicrobial Targets of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms through a Novel Screening Approach N2 - Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen of considerable medical importance, owing to its pronounced antibiotic tolerance and association with cystic fibrosis and other life-threatening diseases. The aim of this study was to highlight the genes responsible for P. aeruginosa biofilm tolerance to antibiotics and thereby identify potential new targets for the development of drugs against biofilm-related infections. By developing a novel screening approach and utilizing a public P. aeruginosa transposon insertion library, several biofilm-relevant genes were identified. The Pf phage gene (PA0720) and flagellin gene (fliC) conferred biofilm-specific tolerance to gentamicin. Compared with the reference biofilms, the biofilms formed by PA0720 and fliC mutants were completely eliminated with a 4-fold-lower gentamicin concentration. Furthermore, the mreC, pprB, coxC, and PA3785 genes were demonstrated to play major roles in enhancing biofilm tolerance to gentamicin. The analysis of biofilm-relevant genes performed in this study provides important novel insights into the understanding of P. aeruginosa antibiotic tolerance, which will facilitate the detection of antibiotic resistance and the development of antibiofilm strategies against P. aeruginosa. KW - Antimicrobial resistance KW - Bacteria KW - Biofilms KW - Pseudomonas aeruginosa PY - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-570205 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - ASM Journals AN - OPUS4-57020 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Varadarajan, A. A1 - Allan, R. A1 - Valentin, J. A1 - Castañeda Ocampo, O. A1 - Somerville, V. A1 - Buhmann, M. A1 - West, J. A1 - Skipp, Paul A1 - van der Mei, H. A1 - Ren, Q. A1 - Schreiber, Frank A1 - Webb, J. A1 - Pietsch, Franziska A1 - Ahrens, C. T1 - An integrated model system to gain mechanistic insights into biofilm-associated antimicrobial resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa MPAO1 N2 - Pseudomonas aeruginosa MPAO1 is the parental strain of the widely utilized transposon mutant collection for this important clinical pathogen. Here, we validate a model system to identify genes involved in biofilm growth and biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance. Our model employs a genomics-driven workflow to assemble the complete MPAO1 genome, identify unique and conserved genes by comparative genomics with the PAO1 reference strain and genes missed within existing assemblies by proteogenomics. Among over 200 unique MPAO1 genes, we identified six general essential genes that were overlooked when mapping public Tn-seq data sets against PAO1, including an antitoxin. Genomic data were integrated with phenotypic data from an experimental workflow using a user-friendly, soft lithography-based microfluidic flow chamber for biofilm growth and a screen with the Tn-mutant library in microtiter plates. The screen identified hitherto unknown genes involved in biofilm growth and antibiotic resistance. Experiments conducted with the flow chamber across three laboratories delivered reproducible data on P. aeruginosa biofilms and validated the function of both known genes and genes identified in the Tn-mutant screens. Differential Protein abundance data from planktonic cells versus biofilm confirmed the upregulation of candidates known to affect biofilm formation, of structural and secreted proteins of type VI secretion systems, and provided proteogenomic evidence for some missed MPAO1 genes. This integrated, broadly applicable model promises to improve the mechanistic understanding of biofilm formation, antimicrobial tolerance, and resistance evolution in biofilms. KW - Biofilms PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-515108 VL - 6 IS - 1 SP - Article number: 46 PB - Springer Nature CY - Singapore AN - OPUS4-51510 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -