Abstract 1718 Interacting Partners of H-NOX and their Role in the Regulation of Biofilm Formation in Paracoccus denitrificans

Biofilms pose significant public health challenges due to their resistance to environmental agents and antibiotics. On the contrary, biofilms play beneficial roles in bioremediation, wastewater treatment, and agriculture. Heme nitric oxide/oxygen (H-NOX) binding proteins are bacterial sensors of nitric oxide (NO) that regulate communal behaviors such as biofilm formation, motility, and quorum sensing. These proteins also influence cyclic-di-GMP metabolism and the activity of histidine kinases. In Paracoccus denitrificans, a non-motile, Gram-negative bacterium and a model organism for denitrification, deletion of the hnox gene results in a biofilm-deficient phenotype.