Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
2009-2-2
pubmed:abstractText
Pneumocystis spp. can cause a lethal pneumonia in hosts with debilitated immune systems. The manner in which these fungal infections spread throughout the lung, the life cycles of the organisms, and their strategies used for survival within the mammalian host are largely unknown, due in part to the lack of a continuous cultivation method. Biofilm formation is one strategy used by microbes for protection against environmental assaults, for communication and differentiation, and as foci for dissemination. We posited that the attachment and growth of Pneumocystis within the lung alveoli is akin to biofilm formation. An in vitro system comprised of insert wells suspended in multiwell plates containing supplemented RPMI 1640 medium supported biofilm formation by P. carinii (from rat) and P. murina (from mouse). Dramatic morphological changes accompanied the transition to a biofilm. Cyst and trophic forms became highly refractile and produced branching formations that anastomosed into large macroscopic clusters that spread across the insert. Confocal microscopy revealed stacking of viable organisms enmeshed in concanavalin A-staining extracellular matrix. Biofilms matured over a 3-week time period and could be passaged. These passaged organisms were able to cause infection in immunosuppressed rodents. Biofilm formation was inhibited by farnesol, a quorum-sensing molecule in Candida spp., suggesting that a similar communication system may be operational in the Pneumocystis biofilms. Intense staining with a monoclonal antibody to the major surface glycoproteins and an increase in (1,3)-beta-D-glucan content suggest that these components contributed to the refractile properties. Identification of this biofilm process provides a tractable in vitro system that should fundamentally advance the study of Pneumocystis.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:commentsCorrections
http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-10051654, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-10442127, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-10655413, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-10681344, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-10817720, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-11013231, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-11119494, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-11425711, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-11514524, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-11526156, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-11570274, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-11574552, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-11722913, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-12204378, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-12384370, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-12406738, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-14576141, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-15051880, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-15075282, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-15117741, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-15133075, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-15368097, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-15496122, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-15504255, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-15746433, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-15821123, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-15964263, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-16173245, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-16441572, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-16801410, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-16923951, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17005804, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17064284, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17169023, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17300510, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17363968, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17404870, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17429728, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17513597, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17520208, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17526510, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17761484, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-17978303, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-18171279, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-18248413, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-18436588, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-2651312, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-3495418, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-3894045, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-7852574, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-828240, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-8557354, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-8945582, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-9021195, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-9455880, http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/commentcorrection/18820078-9758837
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Feb
pubmed:issn
1535-9786
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
8
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
197-206
pubmed:dateRevised
2010-12-3
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2009
pubmed:articleTitle
Biofilm formation by Pneumocystis spp.
pubmed:affiliation
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 231 Albert Sabin Way, ML 560, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0560, USA. Melanie.Cushion@uc.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural