Team:Groningen/Biofilm model

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Revision as of 12:57, 24 October 2010

Biofilm model

The modelling team is developing a mathematical model which describes the growth of biofilms. Furthermore we are researching how strong the biofilm is, how fast it grows and other parameters needed for the model.

In literature we found models that described biofilms by using a differential-discrete cellular automaton approach. This means that we are using both discrete and continuous models to determine what is happening in our biofilm. Important processes to take into account are convection, diffusion, biofilm growth, substrate consumption and biomass production. Our current approach is mainly based on the following articles:

References: Comella N, Grossman AD, Conservation of genes and processes controlled by the quorum response in bacteria: characterization of genes controlled by the quorum-sensing transcription factor ComA in Bacillus subtilis, Molecular Microbiology (2005), 57 (4): 1159–1174. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16091051

Lemon KP, Earl AM, Vlamakis HC, Aguilar C, Kolter R., Biofilm development with an emphasis on Bacillus subtilis, Current Topics Microbiology and Immunology, 2008, 322:1-16. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18453269

López D, Vlamakis H, Kolter R, Biofilms, Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, 2010, (2):a000398. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20519345

López D, Vlamakis H, Losick R, Kolter R, Paracrine signaling in a bacterium, Genes & Development, 2009 23(14):1631-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Pérez J, Picioreanu C, van Loosdrecht M, Modeling biofilm and floc diffusion processes based on analytical solution of reaction-diffusion equations, Water Research, 2005, 39:1311-1323.

Picioreanu C, van Loosdrecht MC, Heijnen JJ. A new combined differential-discrete cellular automaton approach for biofilm modeling: application for growth in gel beads, Biotechnology Bioengineering, 1998, 57(6):718-31. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10099251

Picioreanu C, van Loosdrecht MC, Heijnen JJ. Mathematical modeling of biofilm structure with a hybrid differential-discrete cellular automaton approach, Biotechnology Bioengineering, 1998, 58(1):101-16. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10099266 Roggiani M, Dubnau D, ComA, a phosphorylated response regulator protein of Bacillus subtilis, binds to the promoter region of srfA, Journal of Bacteriology, 1993, 175(10): 3182-7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8387999

Shah IM, Dworkin J, Microbial interactions: bacteria talk to (some of) their neighbors, Current Biology, 2009, 19(16): 689-91. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19706277