ArticlePloS one2014
Chitinases are negative regulators of Francisella novicida biofilms.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Characterization of carABpyrB operon and role of pyrE in Francisella novicida biofilm.MicrobiologyOpen · 2026Article
- Synthesis of ZIF-67 Nanoparticles for Camel Whey Protein Delivery: Promising Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, Anticancer Effects, and Anti-biofilm Activity.Molecular biotechnology · 2026Article
- Innovative Applications of Nanopore Technology in Tumor Screening: An Exosome-Centric Approach.Biosensors · 2025Review
- Recent Contributions of Proteomics to Our Understanding of Reversible NJournal of proteome research · 2024Review
- Assessment of Tunable Resistive Pulse Sensing (TRPS) Technology for Particle Size Distribution in Vaccine Formulations - A Comparative Study with Dynamic Light Scattering.Pharmaceutical research · 2024Article
- Biofilm inhibition/eradication: exploring strategies and confronting challenges in combatting biofilm.Archives of microbiology · 2024Review
- Flagellar interference with plasmid uptake in biofilms: a joint experimental and modeling study.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2024Article
- An overview of viral chitinases: General properties and biotechnological potential.Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.) · 2023Review
- Bacterial Chitinases and Their Role in Human Infection.Infection and immunity · 2023Review
- In Vitro Models of Bacterial Biofilms: Innovative Tools to Improve Understanding and Treatment of Infections.Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Biotechnologically potential genes in a polysaccharide-degrading epibiont of the Indonesian brown algae Hydroclathrus sp.Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology · 2023Article
- Article
- Why vary what's working? Phase variation and biofilm formation inFrontiers in microbiology · 2022Review
- Contribution of NmSystems · 2021Article
- Review
- Nlrp3 Increases the Host's Susceptibility to Tularemia.Frontiers in microbiology · 2021Article
- Genetic Determinants of Antibiotic Resistance inFrontiers in microbiology · 2021Review
- Phase Variation of LPS and Capsule Is Responsible for Stochastic Biofilm Formation inFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021Article
- Mechanisms Affecting the Acquisition, Persistence and Transmission ofMicroorganisms · 2020Review
- Biofilm architecture: An emerging synthetic biology target.Synthetic and systems biotechnology · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Biofilms, multicellular communities of bacteria, may be an environmental survival and transmission mechanism of Francisella tularensis. Chitinases of F. tularensis ssp. novicida (Fn) have been suggested to regulate biofilm formation on chitin surfaces. However, the underlying mechanisms of how chitinases may regulate biofilm formation are not fully determined. We hypothesized that Fn chitinase modulates bacterial surface properties resulting in the alteration of biofilm formation. We analyzed biofilm formation under diverse conditions using chitinase mutants and their counterpart parental strain. Substratum surface charges affected biofilm formation and initial attachments. Biophysical analysis of bacterial surfaces confirmed that the chi mutants had a net negative-charge. Lectin binding assays suggest that chitinase cleavage of its substrates could have exposed the concanavalin A-binding epitope. Fn biofilm was sensitive to chitinase, proteinase and DNase, suggesting that Fn biofilm contains exopolysaccharides, proteins and extracellular DNA. Exogenous chitinase increased the drug susceptibility of Fn biofilms to gentamicin while decreasing the amount of biofilm. In addition, chitinase modulated bacterial adhesion and invasion of A549 and J774A.1 cells as well as intracellular bacterial replication. Our results support a key role of the chitinase(s) in biofilm formation through modulation of the bacterial surface properties. Our findings position chitinase as a potential anti-biofilm enzyme in Francisella species.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.