Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Transposon mutagenesis to screen for altered biofilm architecture

Kallen, Johanna Sofia (2024) MOBM02 20232
Degree Projects in Molecular Biology
Popular Abstract
All organisms are made up ofcells, the smallest functional unit of life. While organisms such asplants and animalscan consist of trillions of cells, others consist of just one cell.One group of unicellularorganisms is called bacteria. Because oftheir small size, bacteria and other microscopic small organisms are classified as microorganisms.

In nature, mostbacteria do not live as single cells. They exist in anenclosed community,called a biofilm. The biofilm communitycan consist of a single microorganism or multiplemicroorganisms. Biofilm formation is beneficial for the organisms forming it, because theyshare theirworkload andbecause the formation protects them e.g. from thedirectexposure to harmful chemicals and UV light.

Biofilms... (More)
All organisms are made up ofcells, the smallest functional unit of life. While organisms such asplants and animalscan consist of trillions of cells, others consist of just one cell.One group of unicellularorganisms is called bacteria. Because oftheir small size, bacteria and other microscopic small organisms are classified as microorganisms.

In nature, mostbacteria do not live as single cells. They exist in anenclosed community,called a biofilm. The biofilm communitycan consist of a single microorganism or multiplemicroorganisms. Biofilm formation is beneficial for the organisms forming it, because theyshare theirworkload andbecause the formation protects them e.g. from thedirectexposure to harmful chemicals and UV light.

Biofilms arefound in almost everyhabitaton earth,including thehuman body. For example, they can be found on the human skin, in the gut and in the respiratory system. They support the immune system to protect against harmfulmicroorganisms. Furthermore, microbial biofilm formation is associated with chronic wounds and diseases. Furtherexamples where biofilms cause damage are drinking-water pipe systemsand medical devices. Since the 1940s, bacteria aretreated with antibiotics, a generic term for substances,that inhibit the growth of microorganisms or kill them. Free-living bacteria are easier to treat with antibiotics than the biofilm community. It is therefore important to understand the basic mechanisms of biofilms. The treatment of biofilm-associated infections will be enhanced by this basic research.

Bacillus subtilis is a non-harmfulmodel organism,not only for biofilm studies. B.subtilisformsdifferent biofilm structures,depending on the surrounding media and the surface they areattached to.

In the first part of this study,a method called transposon mutagenesis was established. The establishedtransposon mutagenesis method was used tocreateand identify intentional modified B.subtilisbiofilms. Biofilms with abnormal architecture were selected for further study. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Kallen, Johanna Sofia
supervisor
organization
course
MOBM02 20232
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
language
English
id
9149203
date added to LUP
2024-02-28 14:31:26
date last changed
2024-02-28 14:31:26
@misc{9149203,
  author       = {{Kallen, Johanna Sofia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Transposon mutagenesis to screen for altered biofilm architecture}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}