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Biofilms are ubiquitous surface-associated bacterial communities embedded in an extracellular matrix. It is commonly assumed that biofilm cells are glued together by the matrix; however, how the specific biochemistry of matrix components affects the cell-matrix interactions and how these interactions vary during biofilm growth remain unclear. Here, we investigate cell-matrix interactions in Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera. We combine genetics, microscopy, simulations, and biochemical analyses to show that V. cholerae cells are not attracted to the main matrix component (Vibrio polysaccharide, VPS), but can be attached to each other and to the VPS network through surface-associated VPS and crosslinks formed by the protein Bap1. Downregulation of VPS production and surface trimming by the polysaccharide lyase RbmB cause surface remodeling as biofilms age, shifting the nature of cell-matrix interactions from attractive to repulsive and facilitating cell dispersal as aggregated groups. Our results shed light on the dynamics of diverse cell-matrix interactions as drivers of biofilm development. It is commonly assumed that bacterial cells within biofilms are glued together by matrix components, but the details are poorly understood. Here, Moreau et al. show how dynamic changes in attractive and repulsive interactions between cells and various matrix components drive biofilm growth and disassembly in Vibrio cholerae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many pathogenic bacteria form biofilms as a protective measure against environmental and host hazards. The underlying structure of the biofilm matrix consists of secreted macromolecules, often including exopolysaccharides. To escape the biofilm, bacteria may produce a number of matrix-degrading enzymes, including glycosidic enzymes that digest exopolysaccharide scaffolds. The human pathogen Vibrio cholerae assembles and secretes an exopolysaccharide called VPS (Vibrio polysaccharide) which is essential in most cases for the formation of biofilms and consists of a repeating tetrasaccharide unit. Previous studies have indicated that a secreted glycosidase called RbmB is involved in V. cholerae biofilm dispersal, although the mechanism by which this occurs is not understood. To approach the question of RbmB function, we recombinantly expressed and purified RbmB and tested its activity against purified VPS. Using a fluorescence-based biochemical assay, we show that RbmB specifically cleaves VPS in vitro under physiological conditions. Analysis of the cleavage process using mass spectrometry, solid-state NMR, and solution NMR indicates that RbmB cleaves VPS at a specific site (at the α-1,4 linkage between D-galactose and a modified L-gulose) into a mixture of tetramers and octamers. We demonstrate that the product of the cleavage contains a double bond in the modified guluronic acid ring, strongly suggesting that RbmB is cleaving using a glycoside lyase mechanism. Finally, we show that recombinant RbmB from V. cholerae and the related aquatic species Vibrio coralliilyticus are both able to disrupt living V. cholerae biofilms. Our results support the role of RbmB as a polysaccharide lyase involved in biofilm dispersal, as well as an additional glycolytic enzyme to add to the toolbox of potential therapeutic antibacterial enzymes. Author summary: Biofilms are protective sheaths produced by many bacteria that play important roles in environmental survival and in hosts during infection. Understanding how biofilms form and disperse is essential in the fight against harmful bacterial pathogens. Vibrio cholerae is a historically significant human pathogen that forms biofilms made of a polysaccharide called VPS and secreted accessory proteins. Within the V. cholerae biofilm gene cluster is a gene encoding a protein called RbmB, which is known to play a role in biofilm dispersal. Using a combination of biochemical and analytical tools, we show that RbmB indeed cleaves VPS into tetra- and octasaccharide fragments at a unique site and demonstrate that it falls into the family of polysaccharide lyase enzymes (as opposed to the more common hydrolases). Furthermore, recombinant RbmB disrupts living V. cholerae biofilms through VPS digestion, further indicating that it may play a role in VPS processing or degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Orthodontie Française is the property of John Libbey Eurotext Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Orthodontie Française is the property of John Libbey Eurotext Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Orthodontie Française is the property of John Libbey Eurotext Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Biofilms are ubiquitous surface-associated bacterial communities embedded in an extracellular matrix. While it is commonly assumed that biofilm-dwelling cells are glued together by the matrix, how the cell-matrix interaction depends on the specific biochemistry of the matrix components and how this interaction varies during biofilm growth remains unclear. Here, we investigated cell-matrix interactions in Vibrio cholerae ( Vc ), the causative agent of cholera. We combine genetics, microscopy, simulation, and biochemical tools to show that Vc cells are not attractive to V ibrio p oly s accharide (VPS), the main matrix component, but they can be bridged with each other and to the VPS network through crosslinking by Bap1. Downregulation of VPS and surface trimming by the polysaccharide lyase RbmB cause surface remodeling as biofilms age, shifting the nature of cell-matrix interactions from attractive to repulsive and facilitating cell dispersal as aggregated groups. Our results suggest a new conceptual model in understanding the intricate cell-matrix interaction as the major driver for biofilm development, which is potentially generalizable to certain other biofilm-forming species and exopolysaccharides.

Ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint mostly affects children and young adults. Although it is rare, it is an extremely debilitating disease whose effects on growth, morphological development and personal development are significant. To manage this disorder, it is essential to be informed about the causes, about the anatomical shapes it presents and about its symptoms. This knowledge will also help us choose the most appropriate therapy, that may nevertheless result in failures and in relapses requiring prosthetic rehabilitation., (© EDP Sciences, SFODF, 2014.)

The orthodontic bracket placement has known two major improvements these last fifty years: first with the ability of bonding brackets directly on the enamel (Newmann 1965); second with the indirect bonding procedure introduced by Silvermann and Cohen in 1972. If we put aside the technological evolutions of bonding materials (brackets and adhesives), few refinements have occurred regarding the protocols in this period of time. Furthermore, direct bonding procedure seems to be used by a majority of orthodontists despite the rapidity, accuracy and ergonomics promised by indirect bonding protocol. The main originality of the system detailed in this article is to bond orthodontic brackets in a virtually predetermined position with indirect bonding advantages but with the efficiency of direct bonding because the adhesive is applied directly on the bracket base without pre-bonding necessity. This innovation has been allowed by the use of up-to-date CFAO technology. The article first describes the two components of the SIBSystem (SIBClip and SIBTray) and details the manufacturing stages. The clinical use is then evoked as well as the cautions and limits of this innovative bonding system., (© EDP Sciences, SFODF, 2013.)

In any assessment of the esthetic characteristics of a smile the central incisors play a decisive role. Moreover, correction of their malpositions and, especially, their asymmetry, is one of the principal reasons patients consult orthodontists. The etiology of this asymmetry may be vertical, with one incisor more erupted than its mate or horizontal, with a mid-line discrepancy, and can be objectified by a clinical examination and supplementary studies, especially radiological as a means of helping orthodontists adopt the most appropriate treatment plan. In accordance with the etiopathogenesis of the malocclusion, alveolo-dental trauma, skeletal asymmetry, or asymmetry of arches, the orthodontic treatment may be undertaken on three levels, with the teeth themselves by extrusion, intrusion, or rotation; regionally with the arches by retraction of teeth en masse; or globally at the skeletal level with maxillo-facial surgery. The complexity of some treatment in relation to the coordination of different levels of therapeutic action is intensified by the occasional necessity of obtaining collaboration of other specialists like general dentists, periodontists, and maxillo-facial surgeons. In such cases the initial treatment plan takes on increased importance, as does the choice of collaborating colleagues. However, once successfully completed these complicated treatments become a source of great satisfaction both for practitioners and for patients because of the enormous improvement that has been obtained., (© EDP Sciences, SFODF, 2012.)

Orthodontists often observe the clinical sign of supraclusion, or deep overbite, in their patients, a condition that is difficult to correct and that relapses frequently. In order to treat it with the most appropriate therapy, orthodontists should have a precise understanding of its etiology, which can be skeletal, neuromuscular, or dental and may often result from an intricate web of factors. In preparing their diagnoses, orthodontists should examine the possible mechanisms of its installation and evaluate them in an architectural cephalometric analysis of the oral prehensile complex., (© EDP Sciences, SFODF, 2010.)

Orthodontists are fully prepared to treat the problems of occlusion that they are called upon to deal with every day. On the other hand temporo-mandibular joint disorders present more obscure difficulties from the point of view of detection and diagnosis as well the management of their treatment. That is why a profound understanding of the anatomical and physiological functioning of the temporo-mandibular joint has become indispensable for today's orthodontists who are now asked to detect and diagnose an assortment of TMJ disturbances whose etiology may vary greatly. By performing a rigorous diagnostic procedure, based on a thorough clinical examination supported by careful axiographic and radiological studies, of temporo-mandibular malfunctioning and its underlying etiological causes, which are primarily dento-alveolar and occlusal in nature, orthodontists will be able to adopt an appropriate therapeutic approach that might be purely orthodontic or multi-disciplinary and carried out with the collaboration of specialists in occlusion, oral surgery, and even osteopathy., (EDP Sciences, SFODF, 2010.)

Swallowing is one of the first functions to be set up in utero for vital reasons. Physiological and psychic maturation then occur to lead from a dysfunctional to a functional state. Nevertheless, for certain individuals, maturation is incomplete, and swallowing remains dysfunctional. The clinical literature has already proven the incidence of a dental change of occlusion and the consequences of a lingual dysfunction upon posture. This work proposes to show that the posture can be affected by dysfunctional deglutition because of the lack of dental contacts during this function and because of the lingual dysfunction which characterizes it. We studied a population of 20 young adults, divided into two groups: a group of subjects presenting with a functional swallowing, and a group of subjects presenting with a dysfunctional swallowing. The experimental protocol includes four conditions: mandibular rest, cognitive task of articulation, functional swallowing, dysfunctional swallowing. Their effect on the posture is evaluated by means of a standardized stabilometric platform, and is supplemented by an electromyographic study of a manducator muscle (the masseter) and of a muscle of the cephalic posture (the sternocleidomastoid). The results show that swallowing would have the same postural effects as the cognitive task by increasing the postural oscillations and the energy spent by the postural system. Furthermore, the deglutition would have increased effects when it corresponds to a forced deglutition for the subject.