Investigating role of nitrogen availability on biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Faculty Mentor
Zaara Sarwar
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-14-2026 9:00 AM
End Date
4-14-2026 11:00 AM
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a versatile pathogen that can inflict severe damage by adapting to host defenses and antibiotic treatments. Biofilm formation is a key factor that enhances P. aeruginosa pathogenicity and treatment resistance. We have been researching the impact of environmental nitrogen levels on biofilm formation in P. aeruginosa. Previous work from our group indicates that the NtrC transcription factor and Fap amyloid fibrils contribute to biofilm formation in nitrogen limiting conditions. Our project focuses on investigating the biofilm phenotypes of the DntrC and Dfap mutants of two P. aeruginosa strains - the moderately virulent PAO1 strain and the hypervirulent PAK strain. Strains were grown overnight in minimal media and subsequently transferred to 96 well-plates with either low-nitrogen growth media or high-nitrogen growth media and incubated for 48 hours to allow biofilm formation. Spectrometry readings of biofilm growth were taken pre- and post- crystal violet staining to monitor biofilm formation. The results from these experiments will provide valuable insight on nitrogen’s effect on P. aeruginosa biofilm formation.
Recommended Citation
Holmes, Sophie and Martin, Jacob, "Investigating role of nitrogen availability on biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa" (2026). 2026 Symposium. 16.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2026/ps_2026/p1_2026/16
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Investigating role of nitrogen availability on biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
PUB NCR
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a versatile pathogen that can inflict severe damage by adapting to host defenses and antibiotic treatments. Biofilm formation is a key factor that enhances P. aeruginosa pathogenicity and treatment resistance. We have been researching the impact of environmental nitrogen levels on biofilm formation in P. aeruginosa. Previous work from our group indicates that the NtrC transcription factor and Fap amyloid fibrils contribute to biofilm formation in nitrogen limiting conditions. Our project focuses on investigating the biofilm phenotypes of the DntrC and Dfap mutants of two P. aeruginosa strains - the moderately virulent PAO1 strain and the hypervirulent PAK strain. Strains were grown overnight in minimal media and subsequently transferred to 96 well-plates with either low-nitrogen growth media or high-nitrogen growth media and incubated for 48 hours to allow biofilm formation. Spectrometry readings of biofilm growth were taken pre- and post- crystal violet staining to monitor biofilm formation. The results from these experiments will provide valuable insight on nitrogen’s effect on P. aeruginosa biofilm formation.
