Differential coping strategies exerted by biofilm and planktonic cells of Bacillus subtilis in response to a protozoan predator

The human protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica feeds on intestinal microbiota to survive. To enhance the effectiveness of probiotics, we characterized how they respond to amoeba predators. We found that probiotics decrease the expression of biofilm-related genes to avoid predation while simultan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microbiology spectrum p. e0159725
Main Authors: Kolodkin-Gal, Ilana, Murugan, Prem Anand, Mahapatra, Smruti, Zanditenas, Eva, Ankri, Serge
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 14.11.2025
Subjects:
Bacillus Species
Bacteria-Protist Interactions
Bacterial Aggregation
Bacterial Biofilms and Eukaryotes
Bacterial-Eukaryotic Interactions
Bacteriology
Biofilm Communities
Biofilm Formation
Eukaryotic Microbiology
Genetic Regulation of Biofilm Formation
Microbial Communities
Microbial Physiology and Genetics
Model Organisms
Observation
stress adaptation
Entamoeba histolytica
stress response
biofilms
ISSN:2165-0497, 2165-0497
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The human protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica feeds on intestinal microbiota to survive. To enhance the effectiveness of probiotics, we characterized how they respond to amoeba predators. We found that probiotics decrease the expression of biofilm-related genes to avoid predation while simultaneously inducing their stress response and increasing their motility. Our results can provide novel directions for engineering probiotic bacteria to overcome gastrointestinal-associated parasitic diseases. Additionally, it highlights a fundamental mechanism through which bacterial prey can evade predation in the gastrointestinal tract.
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ISSN:2165-0497
2165-0497
DOI:10.1128/spectrum.01597-25