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Fluid dynamics and cell-bound Psl polysaccharide allows microplastic capture, aggregation and subsequent sedimentation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in water.

cam.issuedOnline2022-02-02
dc.contributor.authorRomero, Manuel
dc.contributor.authorCarabelli, Alessandro
dc.contributor.authorR Swift, Michael
dc.contributor.authorI Smith, Michael
dc.contributor.orcidRomero, Manuel [0000-0001-6902-6776]
dc.date.accessioned2022-02-02T10:20:43Z
dc.date.available2022-02-02T10:20:43Z
dc.date.issued2022-03
dc.date.submitted2021-12-07
dc.date.updated2022-02-02T10:20:43Z
dc.descriptionFunder: 2019 University of Nottingham Interdisciplinary Centre for Analytical Science (UNICAS)
dc.description.abstractDecades after incorporating plastics into consumer markets, research shows that these polymers have spread worldwide. Fragmentation of large debris leads to smaller particles, collectively called microplastics (MPs), which have become ubiquitous in aquatic environments. A fundamental aspect of understanding the implications of MP contamination on ecosystems is resolving the complex interactions of these artificial substrates with microbial cells. Using polystyrene microparticles as model polymers, we conducted an exploratory study where these interactions are quantitatively analyzed using an in vitro system consisting of single-bacterial species capturing and aggregating MPs in water. Here we show that the production of Psl exopolysaccharide by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) does not alter MPs colloidal stability but plays a key role in microspheres adhesion to the cell surface. Further aggregation of MPs by PA cells depends on bacterial mobility and the presence of sufficient flow to prevent rapid sedimentation of early MP-PA assembles. Surprisingly, cells in MP-PA aggregates are not in a sessile state despite the production of Psl, enhancing the motility of the aggregates by an order of magnitude relative to passive diffusion. The generated data could inform the creation of predictive models that accurately describe the dynamics and influence of bacterial growth on plastics debris.
dc.identifier.doi10.17863/CAM.80976
dc.identifier.eissn1462-2920
dc.identifier.issn1462-2912
dc.identifier.otheremi15916
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/333556
dc.languageen
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherWiley
dc.publisher.urlhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15916
dc.subjectEcosystem
dc.subjectEnvironmental Monitoring
dc.subjectHydrodynamics
dc.subjectMicroplastics
dc.subjectPlastics
dc.subjectPolysaccharides
dc.subjectPseudomonas aeruginosa
dc.subjectWater
dc.subjectWater Pollutants, Chemical
dc.titleFluid dynamics and cell-bound Psl polysaccharide allows microplastic capture, aggregation and subsequent sedimentation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in water.
dc.typeArticle
dcterms.dateAccepted2022-01-17
prism.publicationNameEnviron Microbiol
pubs.funder-project-idBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/L013827/1)
pubs.funder-project-idNational Biofilms Innovation Centre (BB/R012415/1)
rioxxterms.licenseref.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rioxxterms.versionVoR
rioxxterms.versionofrecord10.1111/1462-2920.15916

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