JB Accepts, published online ahead of print on 23 October 2009

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J. Bacteriol. doi:10.1128/JB.01061-09
Copyright (c) 2009, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Appendage-mediated surface adherence of Sulfolobus solfataricus

Behnam Zolghadr, Andreas Klingl, Andrea Koerdt, Arnold J.M. Driessen, Reinhard Rachel, and Sonja-Verena Albers^*

Independent Junior Research Group Molecular Biology of Archaea, Max-Planck-Institute for terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse, 35043 Marburg, Germany; Universitaet Regensburg, Centre for Electron Microscopy, Institute for Anatomy, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; Department of Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: albers{at}mpi-marburg.mpg.de.

Attachment of microorganisms to surfaces is a prerequisite for colonization and biofilm formation. The hyperthermophilic crenarchaeote Sulfolobus solfataricus was able to attach to a variety of surfaces such as glass, mica, pyrite and carbon-coated gold grids. Deletion mutant analysis showed that for initial attachment the presence of flagella and pili is essential. Attached cells produced extracellular polysaccharides containing mannose, galactose and N-acetylglucosamine. Genes possibly involved in the production of the extracellular polysaccharides were identified.