Spatial and Temporal Deposition of Adhesive Extracellular Polysaccharide Capsule and Fimbriae by Hyphomonas Strain MHS-3

Hyphomonas strain MHS-3, a member of a genus of primary colonizers of surfaces immersed in marine water, synthesizes two structures that mediate adhesion to solid substrata, namely, capsular exopolysaccharide and fimbriae. Specific stains, gold-labelled lectins, and monoclonal antibodies, along with transmission electron microscopy of synchronized populations, revealed that both structures are polarly and temporally expressed. The timed synthesis and placement of the fimbriae and capsule correlated with the timing and locus of MHS-3 adhesion.

生丝微菌属（Hyphomonas）菌株MHS-3是一类定殖于海水浸没表面的初级定殖微生物，可合成两种介导固体基质黏附的结构，即荚膜胞外多糖（capsular exopolysaccharide）与菌毛（fimbriae）。通过特异性染色、金标记凝集素（gold-labelled lectins）、单克隆抗体（monoclonal antibodies）结合同步化种群的透射电子显微镜（transmission electron microscopy）分析，研究证实这两种结构均呈现极性且时序性表达。菌毛与荚膜的时序合成及定位与MHS-3黏附的时机及位点高度相关。