4 Material und Umwelt
Filtern
Dokumenttyp
- Zeitschriftenartikel (4) (entfernen)
Sprache
- Englisch (4)
Referierte Publikation
- ja (4)
Schlagworte
- Biocides (2)
- Antagonism (1)
- Antibiotics (1)
- Antimicrobial resistance (1)
- Bacillus subtilis (1)
- Bacteria (1)
- Bacterial cell cycle (1)
- Biphasic growth (1)
- Direct laser writing (1)
- Disinfection (1)
- Growth-rate homeostasis (1)
- Micropatterning (1)
- Mussel-inspired materials (1)
- Polydopamine (1)
- Polyglycerol (1)
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1)
- Single cell microbiology (1)
- Suppression (1)
- Synergy (1)
Organisationseinheit der BAM
Paper des Monats
- ja (2)
Antimicrobials can exert specific physiological effects when used in combination that are different from those when applied alone. While combination effects have been extensively mapped for antibiotic-antibiotic combinations, the combination effects of antibiotics with antimicrobials used as biocides or antiseptics have not been systematically investigated. Here, we investigated the effects of combinations of antibiotics (meropenem, gentamicin, and ciprofloxacin) and substances used as biocides or antiseptics [octenidine, benzalkonium chloride, cetrimonium bromide, chlorhexidine, Povidone-iodine, silver nitrate (AgNO3), and Ag-nanoparticles] on the planktonic growth rate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Combination effects were investigated in growth experiments in microtiter plates at different concentrations and the Bliss interaction scores were calculated. Among the 21 screened combinations, we find prevalent combination effects with synergy occurring six times and antagonism occurring 10 times. The effects are specific to the antibiotic-biocide combination with meropenem showing a tendency for antagonism with biocides (6 of 7), while gentamicin has a tendency for synergy (5 of 7). In conclusion, antibiotics and biocides or antiseptics exert physiological combination effects on the pathogen P. aeruginosa. These effects have consequences for the efficacy of both types of substances and potentially for the selection of antimicrobial resistant strains in clinical applications with combined exposure (e.g., wound care and coated biomaterials).
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are widely used as active agents in disinfectants, antiseptics, and preservatives. Despite being in use since the 1940s, there remain multiple open questions regarding their detailed mode-of-action and the mechanisms, including phenotypic heterogeneity, that can make bacteria less susceptible to QACs. To facilitate studies on resistance mechanisms towards QACs, we synthesized a fluorescent quaternary ammonium compound, namely N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-[2-[(4-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-7-yl)amino]ethyl]azanium-iodide (NBD-DDA). NBD-DDA is readily detected by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy with standard GFP/FITC-settings, making it suitable for molecular and single-cell studies. As a proof-of-concept, NBD-DDA was then used to investigate resistance mechanisms which can be heterogeneous among individual bacterial cells. Our results reveal that the antimicrobial activity of NBD-DDA against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa is comparable to that of benzalkonium chloride (BAC), a widely used QAC, and benzyl-dimethyl-dodecylammonium chloride (BAC12), a mono-constituent BAC with alkyl-chain length of 12 and high structural similarity to NBD-DDA. Characteristic time-kill kinetics and increased tolerance of a BAC tolerant E. coli strain against NBD-DDA suggest that the mode of action of NBD-DDA is similar to that of BAC. As revealed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), NBD-DDA is preferentially localized to the cell envelope of E. coli, which is a primary target of BAC and other QACs. Leveraging these findings and NBD-DDA‘s fluorescent properties, we show that reduced cellular accumulation is responsible for the evolved BAC tolerance in the BAC tolerant E. coli strain and that NBD-DDA is subject to efflux mediated by TolC. Overall, NBD-DDA’s antimicrobial activity, its fluorescent properties, and its ease of detection render it a powerful tool to study resistance mechanisms of QACs in bacteria and highlight its potential to gain detailed insights into its mode-of-action.
The growth rate of single bacterial cells is continuously disturbed by random fluctuations in biosynthesis rates and by deterministic cell-cycle events, such as division, genome duplication, and septum formation.
It is not understood whether, and how, bacteria reject these growth-rate disturbances. Here, we quantified growth and constitutive protein expression dynamics of single Bacillus subtilis cells as a function of cell-cycle progression. We found that, even though growth at the population level is exponential, close inspection of the cell cycle of thousands of single Bacillus subtilis cells reveals systematic deviations from exponential growth.
Newborn cells display varying growth rates that depend on their size. When they divide, growth-rate Variation has decreased, and growth rates have become birth size independent. Thus, cells indeed compensate for growth-rate disturbances and achieve growth-rate homeostasis. Protein synthesis and growth of single cells displayed correlated, biphasic dynamics from cell birth to division. During a first phase of variable duration, the absolute rates were approximately constant and cells behaved as sizers. In the second phase, rates increased, and growth behavior exhibited characteristics of a timer strategy. These findings demonstrate that, just like size homeostasis, growth-rate homeostasis is an inherent property of single cells that is achieved by cell-cycle-dependent rate adjustments of biosynthesis and growth.
AbstractThis work addresses the critical need for multifunctional materials and substrate‐independent high‐precision surface modification techniques that are essential for advancing microdevices and sensing elements. To overcome existing limitations, the versatility of mussel‐inspired materials (MIMs) is combined with state‐of‐the‐art multiphoton direct laser writing (DLW) microfabrication. In this way, 2D and 3D MIM microstructures of complex designs are demonstrated with sub‐micron to micron resolution and extensive post‐functionalization capabilities. This study includes polydopamine (PDA), mussel‐inspired linear, and dendritic polyglycerols (MI‐lPG and MI‐dPG), allowing their direct microstructure on the substrate of choice with the option to tailor the patterned topography and morphology in a controllable manner. The functionality potential of MIMs is demonstrated by successfully immobilizing and detecting single‐stranded DNA on MIM micropattern and nanoarray surfaces. In addition, easy modification of MIM microstructure with silver nanoparticles without the need of any reducing agent is shown. The methodology developed here enables the integration of MIMs in advanced applications where precise surface functionalization is essential.