The Biofilm Matrix: A Sticky Framework
نویسندگان
چکیده
The extracellular matrix of structured microbial communities constitutes the framework that holds the component cells together. Although the presence of cell-to-cell interconnecting matrices appears to be a common feature of structured microbial communities, there is a remarkable diversity in the composition of these matrices. Compounds such as polysaccharides, fimbriae, mating pili, and extracellular DNA can all function as extracellular matrix components. In the present chapter we provide examples of the diversity of
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