Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Triggers of Aggregation and Extracellular Polysaccharide Polymer Production in Acidovorax temperans

  • Published:
Current Microbiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Bacterial aggregation has important implications for the maintenance of bacteria in engineered environments. The triggers for aggregation, however, are poorly understood. A strain of Acidovorax temperans CB2Hn isolated from activated sludge was found to exhibit transient aggregation and was applied as a model to investigate factors that regulate biological aggregation. Growth kinetic studies indicate CB2Hn has exponential growth rates (μ max) ranging from 0.11 to 0.75 (log(CFU mL−1)h−1) depending on nutrient conditions. CB2Hn exhibited variable aggregation in growth media that differed in the type of available carbon. Aggregation indices and extracellular polysaccharide polymer levels showed transient maxima which occurred at different points in the growth curve for each medium type. Maximum aggregation points were detected at the beginning of log phase in media containing complex carbon sources. In contrast, maximum values were detected in early log phase and mid-to-late log phase in media containing both simple and complex carbon sources. The results suggest that aggregation is regulated by nutritional cues and is possibly triggered by the switch to utilisation of complex carbon substrates.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bonet R, Simon-Pujol MD, Congregado F (1993) Effects of nutrients on exopolysaccharide production and surface properties on Aeromonas salmonicida. Appl Environ Microbiol 59:2437–2441

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bossier P, Verstraete W (1996) Comamonas testeroni colony phenotype influences exopolysaccharide production and coaggregation with yeast cells. Appl Environ Microbiol 62:2687–2691

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bramhachari PV, Dubey SK (2006) Isolation and characterisation of exopolysaccharide produced by Vibrio harveyi strain VB23. Lett Appl Microbiol 43:571–577

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Burdman S, Jurkevitch E, Schwartsburd B, Hampel M, Okon Y (1998) Aggregation in Azospirillum brasilense: effects of chemical and physical factors and involvement of extracellular components. Microbiology 144:1989–1999

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Burdman S, Jurkevitch E, Sori-Diaz ME, Gil Serrano AM, Okon Y (2000) Extracellular polysaccharide composition of Azospirillum brasilense and its regulation with cell aggregation. FEMS Microbiol Lett 189:259–264

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Chowdhury BR, Chakraborty R, Chaudhuri UR (2007) Validity of modified Gompertz and logistic models in predicting cell growth of Pediococcus acidilactici H during the production of bacteriocin pediocin AcH. J Food Eng 80:1171–1175

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Edens NK, Reaves LA, Bergana MS, Reyzer IL, O’Mara P, Baxter JH, Snowden MK (2002) Yeast extract stimulates glucose metabolism and inhibits lipolysis in rat adipocytes in vitro. J Nutr 132:1141–1148

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ehlers GAC, Turner SJ (2011) Evaluation of extracellular biopolymer and its impact on bioflocculation in activated sludge bioreactors. Water Sci Technol 63(4):689–694

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ehlers GAC, Wagachchi D, Turner SJ (2012) Nutrient conditions and reactor configurations influence floc size distribution and settling properties. Water Sci Technol 65(1):156–163

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gibson AM, Bratchell N, Roberts TA (1987) The effect of sodium chloride and temperature on the rate and extent of growth of Clostridium botulinum type A in pasteurized pork slurry. J Appl Bacteriol 62:479–490

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Heylen K, Lebbe L, De Vos P (2008) Acidovorax caeni sp. nov., a denitrifying species with genetically diverse isolates from activated sludge. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 58:73–77

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Klausen M, Gjermansen M, Kreft J-U, Tolker-Nielsen T (2006) Dynamics of development and dispersal in sessile microbial communities: examples from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas putida model biofilms. FEMS Microbiol Lett 261:1–11

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Li X-F, Li Y-Y, Liu H, Hua Z-Z, Du G-C, Chen J (2008) Correlation between extracellular polymeric substances and aerobic biogranulation in membrane bioreactors. Sep Purif Technol 59:26–33

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Logan BE, Hunt JR (1988) Bioflocculation as a microbial response to substrate limitation. Biotechnol Bioeng 31:91–101

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Magesan GN, Williamson JC, Yeats GW, Lloyd-Jones ARh (2000) Wastewater C:N ratio effects on soil hydraulic conductivity and potential mechanisms for recovery. Bioresour Technol 71:21–27

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Marcotte L, Kegelaer G, Sandt C, Barbeau J, Lafleur M (2007) An alternative infrared spectroscopy assay for the quantification of polysaccharides in bacterial samples. Anal Biochem 361:7–14

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Mergaert J, Boley A, Cnockaert MC, Mueller W-R, Swings J (2001) Identity and potential functions of heterotrophic bacterial isolates from a continuous-upflow fixed-bed reactor for denitrification of drinking water with bacterial polyester as source of carbon and electron donor. Syst Appl Microbiol 24:303–310

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Petry S, Furlan S, Crepeau M-J, Cerning J, Desmazeau M (2000) Factors affecting exocellular polysaccharide production by Lactobacillus delbrueckii subs. bulgaricus grown in a chemically defined medium. Appl Environ Microbiol 66:3247–3431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Ross SM (1999) Introduction to probability and statistics for engineers and scientists, 2nd edn. Academic Press, San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  20. Sutherland IW (2001) Exopolysaccharides in biofilm flocs and related structures. Water Sci Technol 43:77–86

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Vandepitte V, Quataert P, De Bore H, Verstraete W (1995) Evaluation of the Gompertz functions to model survival of bacteria introduce into soils. Soil Biol Biochem 27:365–372

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Vandevivere P, Kirchman DL (1993) Attachment stimulates exopolysaccharide synthesis by a bacterium. Appl Environ Microbiol 59:3280–3286

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Wang YJ, Tsang YF, Chan SY, Sin SN, Chua H, Yu PHF, Ren NQ (2007) Synthesis of PHAs from waste under various C:N ratios. Bioresour Technol 98:1690–1693

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Wilen B-M, Lumley D, Mattson A, Mino T (2008) Relationship between floc composition and flocculation and settling properties studies at a full scale activated sludge plant. Water Res 42:4404–4418

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Yang S-F, Li X-Y (2008) Influence of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on the characteristics of activated sludge under non-steady-state conditions. Process Biochem 44:91–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Zhao L, Chen Y, Schaffner DW (2001) Comparison of logistic and linear regression in modelling percentage data. Appl Environ Microbiol 67:2129–2135

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Zwietering WH, Jongenburger I, Romboutts FM, Van’t Riet K (1990) Modeling of the bacterial growth curve. Appl Environ Microbiol 56:1875–1881

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Michel Nieuwoudt, Department of Chemistry, University of Auckland, for assistance in running the FTIR analyses. This project was funded by a grant from the New Economy Research Fund (UOAX0304) administered by the New Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technology (Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Centre for Microbial Innovation, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand

    G. A. Clark Ehlers & Susan J. Turner

Authors
  1. G. A. Clark Ehlers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Susan J. Turner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. A. Clark Ehlers.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 11 kb)

Supplementary material 2 (DOC 36 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Clark Ehlers, G.A., Turner, S.J. Triggers of Aggregation and Extracellular Polysaccharide Polymer Production in Acidovorax temperans . Curr Microbiol 66, 515–521 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-013-0309-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-013-0309-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation