Destruction of Biofilms of Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria by Serine Protease PAPC from Aspergillus ochraceus

Abstract

Infections associated with biofilm formation by gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms cause difficulty in therapy and are prone to transition into chronic forms. Approaches to degradation of the biofilm matrix are therefore in demand. In the present work, we show that recombinant PAPC serine protease from Aspergillus ochraceus were able to degrade mature biofilms formed by a number of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria by 15‒20% at 50 µg/mL. At 100 µg/mL, the biomass of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa biofilms decreased by 50%. Thus, the PAPC may be a promising agent for biofilm removal and enhance the efficiency of antimicrobial therapy.