Surface properties of wild-type Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. Trifolii strain 24.2 and Its derivatives with different extracellular polysaccharide content

23Citations
Citations of this article
31Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii is a soil bacterium able to establish symbiosis with agriculturally important legumes, i.e., clover plants (Trifolium spp.). Cell surface properties of rhizobia play an essential role in their interaction with both biotic and abiotic surfaces. Physicochemical properties of bacterial cells are underpinned by the chemical composition of their envelope surrounding the cells, and depend on various environmental conditions. In this study, we performed a comprehensive characterization of cell surface properties of a wild-type R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii strain 24.2 and its derivatives producing various levels of exopolysaccharide (EPS), namely, pssA mutant Rt5819 deficient in EPS synthesis, rosR mutant Rt2472 producing diminished amounts of this polysaccharide, and two EPS-overproducing strains, Rt24.2(pBA1) and Rt24.2(pBR1), under different growth conditions (medium type, bacterial culture age, cell viability, and pH). We established that EPS plays an essential role in the electrophoretic mobility of rhizobial cells, and that higher amounts of EPS produced resulted in greater negative electrophoretic mobility and higher acidity (lower pKapp,av) of the bacterial cell surface. From the tested strains, the electrophoretic mobility was lowest in EPS-deficient pssA mutant. Moreover, EPS produced by rhizobial strains resulted not only in an increase of negative surface charge but also in increased hydrophobicity of bacterial cell surface. This was determined by measurements of water contact angle, surface free energy, and free energy of bacterial surface-water-bacterial surface interaction. Electrophoretic mobility of the studied strains was also affected by the structure of the bacterial population (i.e., live/dead cell ratio), medium composition (ionic strength and mono- and divalent cation concentrations), and pH.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Cieśla, J., Kopycińska, M., Łukowska, M., Bieganowski, A., & Janczarek, M. (2016). Surface properties of wild-type Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. Trifolii strain 24.2 and Its derivatives with different extracellular polysaccharide content. PLoS ONE, 11(10). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0165080

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free