Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Biotechnology, University of Engineering & Management, Kolkata, India
  • 2 Department of Food Technology and Bio-Chemical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India
  • 3 Department of Biotechnology, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Haringhata, India
  • 4 Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Malaysia
  • 5 Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics, Khallikote University, Berhampur, India
  • 6 School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
  • 7 Centre of Excellence, Khallikote University, Berhampur, India
PMID: 33987107 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.660048

Abstract

Biofilm is a syntrophic association of sessile groups of microbial cells that adhere to biotic and abiotic surfaces with the help of pili and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). EPSs also prevent penetration of antimicrobials/antibiotics into the sessile groups of cells. Hence, methods and agents to avoid or remove biofilms are urgently needed. Enzymes play important roles in the removal of biofilm in natural environments and may be promising agents for this purpose. As the major component of the EPS is polysaccharide, amylase has inhibited EPS by preventing the adherence of the microbial cells, thus making amylase a suitable antimicrobial agent. On the other hand, salivary amylase binds to amylase-binding protein of plaque-forming Streptococci and initiates the formation of biofilm. This review investigates the contradictory actions and microbe-associated genes of amylases, with emphasis on their structural and functional characteristics.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.