The SOS Response of Biofilms
نویسندگان
چکیده
Background: Biofilms predominate in nearly all nutrient-sufficient ecosystems, both natural and clinical. In clinical settings, bacteria often encounter antimicrobial and DNA damaging agents. Factual evidence shows that more and more biofilm inducing antimicrobials trigger the SOS response of bacteria. This triggering leads to a link between biofilms and SOS. The purpose of this article is to review the published findings about this link. Methods: This article reviews the research progress on the role of the SOS response in biofilm initiation, maturation, defense and evolution. Results: Our review of the biomedical literatures indicates that the SOS response to some antimicrobials induces biofilm formation by several species of bacteria. SOS not only plays a role in biofilm maturation but also contributes to biofilm defense against stress and drives evolution. Conclusion: Biofilms act like a brewing fortress where the SOS response to external and internal stresses fuels mutagenesis that promotes diversification inside biofilms. Biofilms appear to be a hotspot of evolution driven by SOS. The SOS Response of Biofilms Publication History: Received: August 26, 2016 Accepted: November 19, 2016 Published: November 21, 2016
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