Dresden 2009 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 19: Cell Adhesion

BP 19.8: Talk

Thursday, March 26, 2009, 12:45–13:00, ZEU 260

Adhesion of bacteria and adsorption of protein: influence of substrate composition — •Yvonne Schmitt, Peter Loskill, and Karin Jacobs — Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken, Germany

The formation of biofilms on substrates that are exposed to a solution containing proteins, sugars, bacteria etc. is a complex process which is still not fully understood. Especially the initial adsorption of proteins and their role in the entire evolution of the biofilm is still unsettled. We focus our recent research on the characterization of the interactions between substrate materials and proteins or bacteria, respectively. Investigations of the adsorption kinetics of proteins like BSA revealed that proteins are sensitive to the composition of the offered substrate [1, 2]. Thus, a manipulation of the adsorption process by tailored substrates is conceivable. Besides, a wide range of methods such as ellipsometry, surface plasmon resonance and x-ray scattering, we use atomic force microscopy to characterize the dominant forces and parameters involved in the adsorption process and the development of the protein film. Based on the results described above, we study the influence of the substrate material and its composition to the attachment of bacteria. Elasticity measurements on bacteria adsorbed on model surfaces are performed as well as force-distance-measurements with bacteria as probes. These experiments can also be carried out on adsorbed protein films to examine the relevance of a protein layer to the attachment of bacteria.

[1] A. Quinn et al., Europhysics Lett. 81 (2008) 56003

[2] M. Bellion et al., J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 20 (2008) 404226