Summary There is currently a need to develop simple biofilm models that facilitate investigation of the architecture/biology of mature bacterial biofilms in a consistent/standardized manner given their environmental and clinical importance and the need for new anti‐biofilm interventions. This study introduces a novel biofilm culture system termed the rolling biofilm bioreactor (RBB). This easily operated system allows adherent...

Summary Surface motility and biofilm formation are behaviours which enable bacteria to infect their hosts and are controlled by different chemical signals. In the plant symbiotic alpha‐proteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti , the lack of long‐chain fatty acyl‐coenzyme A synthetase activity (FadD) leads to increased surface motility, defects in biofilm development and impaired root colonization. In this study, analyses of lipid...

Summary Expression of cfcR , encoding the only GGDEF/EAL response regulator in Pseudomonas putida , is transcriptionally regulated by RpoS, ANR and FleQ, and the functionality of CfcR as a diguanylate cyclase requires the multisensor CHASE3/GAF hybrid histidine kinase named CfcA. Here an additional level of cfcR control, operating post‐transcriptionally via the RNA‐binding proteins RsmA, RsmE and RsmI, is unraveled. Specific b...

Summary In P seudomonas aeruginosa , quorum sensing ( QS ) regulates the production of secondary metabolites, many of which are antimicrobials that impact on polymicrobial community composition. Consequently, quenching QS modulates the environmental impact of P . aeruginosa . To identify bacteria capable of inactivating the QS signal molecule 2‐heptyl‐3‐hydroxy‐4(1 H )‐quinolone ( PQS ), a minimal medium containing PQS as the...

Summary P seudomonas aeruginosa is a versatile bacterial pathogen capable of occupying diverse ecological niches. To cope with iron limitation, P . aeruginosa secretes two siderophores, pyoverdine and pyochelin, whose ability to deliver iron to the cell is crucial for biofilm formation and pathogenicity. In this study, we describe a link between iron uptake and the G ac/ R sm system, a conserved signal transducing pathway of P...

Summary Acute bacterial infections are associated with motility and cytotoxicity via the type III secretion system (T3SS), while chronic infections are linked to biofilm formation and reduced virulence. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa , the transition between motility and sessility involves regulatory networks including the RetS/GacS sensors, as well as the second messenger c‐di‐GMP. The RetS/GacS signalling cascade converges on sma...

Summary The quorum sensing (QS) system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa constitutes a sophisticated genome‐wide gene regulatory network employing both N ‐acylhomoserine lactone and 2‐alkyl‐4‐quinolone (AQ) signal molecules. AQ signalling utilizes 2‐heptyl‐3‐hydroxy‐4‐quinolone (PQS) and its immediate precursor, 2‐heptyl‐4‐quinolone (HHQ). AQ biosynthesis requires the first four genes of the pqsABCDE operon and while the biochemical f...