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To Build a Biofilm

Development is not restricted to so-called higher organisms. Developmental processes in bacteria include differentiation of a single cell, such as the swarmer-to-stalk transition by Caulobacter crescentus and spore formation by Bacillus subtilis. Other microbes, such as Myxococcus xanthus, produce specialized cells within a population to form sporulating fruiting bodies (19). As we learn more about microbial biofilm formation, it is becoming clear that this is yet another example of a bacterial developmental process (4, 12). Like other developmental systems, building a biofilm requires a series of discrete and well-regulated steps. While the exact molecular mechanisms may differ from organism to organism, the stages of biofilm development appear to be conserved among a wide range of microbes. These stages include attachment of cells to a substrate, the growth and aggregation of cells into microcolonies, and the maturation and maintenance of architecture (3-5) (Fig. ​(Fig.1).1). In this issue of the Journal of Bacteriology, Finelli and colleagues at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto demonstrate the use of a new tool for further dissecting the development of bacterial biofilms (8).