# Identification of Flo11-like Adhesin in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the Mechanism of Small-Molecule Compounds Mediating Biofilm Formation in Yeasts

## TL;DR

This paper identifies a protein in a type of yeast that helps it form biofilms and shows how certain small molecules can either promote or inhibit this process.

## Contribution

The study confirms a protein in Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a functional homolog of Flo11 and reveals how small molecules regulate biofilm formation.

## Key findings

- Deletion of SPBPJ4664.02 in S. pombe reduces biofilm formation and invasive growth.
- Indole-3-acetic acid and dodecanol inhibit biofilm formation at high concentrations but promote it at low concentrations.
- IAA and dodecanol likely act downstream of SPBPJ4664.02 in the biofilm signaling pathway.

## Abstract

Fungal infection is initiated by the adhesion of pathogens to biotic and abiotic surfaces, with various manifestations including biofilm formation and invasive growth, etc. A previous report, though devoid of functional data, speculated that the Schizosaccharomyces pombe glycoprotein SPBPJ4664.02 could be the homology of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Flo11. Here, our studies with S. pombe substantiated the previously proposed speculation by (1) the deletion of SPBPJ4664.02 attenuated biofilm formation and invasive growth in S. pombe; (2) the S. pombe’s lack of SPBPJ4664.02 could be complemented by expressing S. cerevisiae flo11. Furthermore, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and dodecanol were examined in S. pombe for their respective effects on biofilm formation. IAA and dodecanol at high concentrations could inhibit biofilm formation, whereas opposing effects were observed with low concentrations of these molecules. Mechanism studies with the SPBPJ4664.02Δ and SPBPJ4664.02Δ/flo11OE versus the wild type have demonstrated that IAA or dodecanol might exert regulatory effects downstream of SPBPJ4664.02 in the signaling pathway for biofilm formation. Moreover, our research extrapolated to Candida albicans has pinpointed that IAA inhibited biofilm formation at high concentrations, consistent with the transcriptional downregulation of the biofilm-related genes. Dodecanol suppressed C. albicans biofilm formation at all the concentrations tested, in accord with the downregulation of biofilm-related transcripts.