9.B.275.  The Phosphoethanolamine Transferase (PEAT) Family

E. coli produces chemically modified cellulose that is required for extracellular matrix assembly and biofilm architecture. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of the intact and insoluble material revealed a zwitterionic phosphoethanolamine modification. Insertioin of the phosphoethanolamine group requires BcsG, a phosphoethanolamine transferase, with biofilm-promoting cyclic diguanylate monophosphate input through a BcsE-BcsF-BcsG transmembrane signaling pathway. The bcsEFG operon is present in many bacteria, including Salmonella species, that also produce the modified cellulose.