Pleomorphism and Cell Shape Regulation in Bacteria for Biofilm Development in Response to Environmental Cues

Abstract

Microorganisms have evolved to thrive in virtually any terrestrial and marine environment, exposing them to various mechanical cues mainly generated by fluid flow and pressure as well as surface contact. To overcome the fluid shear, bacteria often live as assemblages within the matrix, termed biofilms, which is a major mode of microbial life. The study of biofilms has revealed their vast complexity both in terms of resident species composition and phenotypic diversity. In particular, a longstanding goal has been to understand how the evolution of multicellularity conferred fitness advantages. In the biofilm development process, several environmental factors, such as nutrients, pH, and oxygen, play a role in bacterial phenotypes. Cellular components enable bacteria to sense and respond to physical cues to optimize their function, ultimately improving bacterial fitness. Mainly, bacterial cytoskeleton proteins are responsible for changing and maintaining the phenotypic form of bacteria in response to environmental cues. Differential expression of cytoskeleton proteins helps to alter the cell shape, i.e., pleomorphic in response to bacterial needs. This study entails how the pleomorphism of bacteria within a community influences the cooperative and competitive cell–cell interactions that define biofilm formation and function. Furthermore, we emphasize that the local environmental niche helped phenotypic conversion to develop stabilized biofilm that has a significant role in the environment.