ArticlePLoS pathogens2022
Strengthening of enterococcal biofilms by Esp.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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.
The trial behind it
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
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association of virulence genes with biofilm formation in clinical Enterococcus faecalis isolates: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- Enhanced antibiofilm and gene-suppressive effects of cinnamon nanoemulsion against multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecalis.Molecular biology reports · 2026Article
- Predicting Pose Distribution of Protein Domains Connected by Flexible Linkers Is an Unsolved Problem.Proteins · 2026Article
- Biofilm-associated proteins: from the gut biofilms to neurodegeneration.Gut microbes · 2025Review
- Multidrug-ResistantVeterinary sciences · 2025Article
- Murraya koenigii methanolic extract inhibits bacterial growth and biofilm of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Biofilm-Associated Amyloid Proteins Linked with the Progression of Neurodegenerative Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Isolation ofAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Gut microbiota produces biofilm-associated amyloids with potential for neurodegeneration.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Enterococci,Microorganisms · 2024Article
- Enterococcal-host interactions in the gastrointestinal tract and beyond.FEMS microbes · 2024Review
- Structural and biochemical characterization ofProcess biochemistry (Barking, London, England) · 2023Article
- Antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity of diarylureas againstFrontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterococcus faecalis are major causes of hospital-acquired infections. Numerous clinical strains of E. faecalis harbor a large pathogenicity island that encodes enterococcal surface protein (Esp), which is suggested to promote biofilm production and virulence, but this remains controversial. To resolve this issue, we characterized the Esp N-terminal region, the portion implicated in biofilm production. Small angle X-ray scattering indicated that the N-terminal region had a globular head, which consisted of two DEv-Ig domains as visualized by X-ray crystallography, followed by an extended tail. The N-terminal region was not required for biofilm production but instead significantly strengthened biofilms against mechanical or degradative disruption, greatly increasing retention of Enterococcus within biofilms. Biofilm strengthening required low pH, which resulted in Esp unfolding, aggregating, and forming amyloid-like structures. The pH threshold for biofilm strengthening depended on protein stability. A truncated fragment of the first DEv-Ig domain, plausibly generated by a host protease, was the least stable and sufficient to strengthen biofilms at pH ≤ 5.0, while the entire N-terminal region and intact Esp on the enterococcal surface was more stable and required a pH ≤ 4.3. These results suggested a virulence role of Esp in strengthening enterococcal biofilms in acidic abiotic or host environments.
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Registered trials
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