Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases RmcA and MorA to regulate biofilm maintenance

Abstract While the early stages of biofilm formation have been well characterized, less is known about the requirements for Pseudomonas aeruginosa to maintain a mature biofilm. We utilized a P. aeruginosa-phage interaction to find that rmcA and morA, two genes which encode for c-di-GMP-degrading phosphodiesterase (PDEs) enzymes, are important for the regulation of biofilm maintenance. Deletion of these genes initially results in an elevated biofilm phenotype characterized by increased production of c-di-GMP, Pel polysaccharide and biofilm biomass. In contrast to the wild-type strain, these mutants were unable to maintain the biofilm when exposed to carbon-limited conditions. The susceptibility to nutrient limitation, and subsequent loss of biofilm viability of these mutants, was phenotypically reproduced with a stringent response mutant (ΔrelA ΔspoT), indicating that the ΔrmcA and ΔmorA mutants may be unable to appropriately respond to nutrient limitation. Genetic and biochemical data indicate that RmcA and MorA physically interact with the Pel biosynthesis machinery, supporting a model whereby unregulated Pel biosynthesis contributes to the death of the ΔrmcA and ΔmorA mutant strains in an established biofilm when nutrient-limited. These findings provide evidence that c-di-GMP-mediated regulation is required for mature biofilms of P. aeruginosa to effectively respond to changing availability of nutrients. Furthermore, the PDEs involved in biofilm maintenance are distinct from those required for establishing a biofilm, thus indicating that a wide variety of c-di-GMP metabolizing enzymes in organisms like P. aeruginosa likely allows for discrete control over the formation, maintenance or dispersion of biofilms. ImportanceRecent advances in our understanding of c-di-GMP signaling have provided key insights into the regulation of biofilms. Despite an improved understanding of how they initially form, the processes that facilitate the long-term maintenance of these multicellular communities remain opaque. We found that P. aeruginosa requires two phosphodiesterases, RmcA and MorA, to maintain a mature biofilm and that P. aeruginosa biofilms lacking these PDEs succumb to nutrient limitation and die. The biofilm maintenance deficiency observed in ΔrmcA and ΔmorA mutants was also found in the stringent response defective ΔrelA ΔspoT strain, suggesting that a regulatory intersection between c-di-GMP signaling, EPS biosynthesis and the nutrient limitation response is important for persistent surface growth. We uncover components of an important regulatory system needed for P. aeruginosa to persist in nutrient-poor conditions, and provide some of the first evidence that maintaining a mature biofilm is an active process.