AUTHOR=Lahiri Dibyajit , Nag Moupriya , Banerjee Ritwik , Mukherjee Dipro , Garai Sayantani , Sarkar Tanmay , Dey Ankita , Sheikh Hassan I. , Pathak Sushil Kumar , Edinur Hisham Atan , Pati Siddhartha , Ray Rina Rani TITLE=Amylases: Biofilm Inducer or Biofilm Inhibitor? JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology VOLUME=11 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2021.660048 DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2021.660048 ISSN=2235-2988 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.