Identification of Novel Genes Involved in Escherichia coli Biofilm Formation
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DesPlas, Rebecca L., Identification of Novel Genes Involved in Escherichia coli Biofilm Formation. Master of Science (Microbiology), May 2003, 77 pp., 6 tables, 11 figures, references, 55 titles. Transposon mutagenesis using a miniTn10::camR transposon generated 800 random insertion mutants displaying altered biofilm phenotypes as compared to the parent strain, TRMG F/M. Transduction of the resistance marker confirmed approximately 150 biofilm mutants. Amplifications of the insertion sites, nucleotide sequencing and BLAST searches against E. coli K-12 genomic databases, identified118 of these sites. Many of the interrupted genes are not known to be associated with biofilm formation. Four mutations were transduced into E. coli K-12 MG1655, creating altered biofilm phenotypes. A plasmid clone of the nhaAR operon complemented the corresponding mutations. Results indicate that the genes identified in this study influence biofilm formation. However, further studies are needed to determine the degree of impact in a wild type strain background.