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Microbial Biofilms in Health and Disease: Molecular Perspectives
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Microbial Biofilms in Health and Disease: Molecular Perspectives

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 503

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Paweł Krzyżek

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: Helicobacter pylori; biofilm; coccoid forms; morphology; outer membrane vesicles; antibiotic tolerance; antimicrobial/antibiofilm activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biofilm is a highly complex structure composed of microorganisms embedded in a thick extracellular matrix. The close proximity of microbial cells and the presence of this matrix give rise to unique characteristics, including an increased rate of gene acquisition and reduced susceptibility to antimicrobials and the immune system. These features enable biofilm populations to colonize niches inaccessible to their planktonic counterparts.

Over the last decade, biofilm research has undergone major advances, from redefining the stages of biofilm formation to identifying free-floating biofilm forms and recognizing biofilm as an entity encased by multiple structures and biomacromolecules (the so-called matrixome).

To further advance research in this area, this Special Issue invites scientists and clinicians to submit original research articles, short communications, and reviews describing molecular processes underlying biofilm development and the impact of biofilms on human and animal health and disease. Submissions focusing on the role of specific genes in biofilm development, omics-based analyses (transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics), and in silico approaches to identify new anti-biofilm compounds are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Paweł Krzyżek
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biofilm
  • antibiofilm
  • biofilm matrix
  • matrixome
  • antibiotic resistance
  • antibiotic tolerance

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 18335 KB  
Article
Roles of Indole and Its Derivative in Modulating E. coli–Candida albicans Biofilm Formation
by You-Quan Ma and Lan Lin
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(10), 4478; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27104478 - 16 May 2026
Viewed by 190
Abstract
Candida albicans is the causal agent of invasive candidiasis, which might be lethal in immunocompromised patients. Biofilm formation is considered a key virulence factor of C. albicans and is associated with its elevated resistance to antifungals. C. albicans and bacteria like E. coli [...] Read more.
Candida albicans is the causal agent of invasive candidiasis, which might be lethal in immunocompromised patients. Biofilm formation is considered a key virulence factor of C. albicans and is associated with its elevated resistance to antifungals. C. albicans and bacteria like E. coli are frequently found to form mixed biofilms on biotic or abiotic surfaces, rendering them more refractory to existing antifungals. To investigate how E. coli endogenous indole interplaying with exogenous IAA exerts modulatory effects on dual-species biofilm with C. albicans, an E. coli strain deficient in the indole biosynthetic gene tnaA was constructed, and the enzyme TnaA inhibitor was administered to block the indole production in E. coli monoculture and/or E. coli–C. albicans dual culture. Phenotypic assay revealed that indole deficiency attenuated E. coli mono-species biofilm by 12% (tnaA∆ versus WT E. coli), and the lack of indole in the E. coli cell-free culture filtrate abolished the ability to promote C. albicans biofilms, evidenced by the fact that the treatment with WT E. coli culture supernatants exhibited a 1.7-fold promotive effect, while treatment with tnaA∆ displayed no significant difference from the broth control towards C. albicans biofilms. Furthermore, impaired E. coli indole production might disrupt E. coli–C. albicans biofilm, as examined by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Moreover, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) was found to exhibit more potent biofilm-modulatory activity than indole by CLSM imaging with dual biofilms of WT E. coli–C. albicans, in contrast to those of E. coli tnaA∆–C. albicans post-supplemented with exogenous IAA. This study provides evidence for indole as a signaling molecule mediating bacterial–fungal communication during mixed-biofilm formation. Indole and its derivatives, particularly in combination with existing antifungals, have potential in the development of anti-biofilm strategies to eradicate refractory fungal infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biofilms in Health and Disease: Molecular Perspectives)
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