These bacterial pioneers facilitate the arrival of other pathogens by providing more diverse adhesion sites. They also begin to build the matrix that holds the biofilm together. If there are species that are unable to attach to a surface on their own, they are often able to anchor themselves to the matrix or directly to earlier colonists. The expression of 800 genes have been shown to be altered when a single bacterial species joins a biofilm.24
一个新的细菌种类加入后，可以带来800种基因改变可能。
According to Costerton, the genes that allow a biofilm to develop are activated after enough cells attach to a solid surface.
It appears that attachment itself is what stimulates synthesis综合体 of the extracellular matrix in which the sessile bacteria 固着菌are embedded. This notion– that bacteria have a sense of touch that enables detection of a surface and the expression of specific genes– is in itself an exciting area of research.
细菌有集体合作意识，并展现自我基因
William Costerton et al. 25
Research on the molecular and genetic basis of biofilm development has shown that when cells switch from planktonic to community mode, they also undergo a shift in behavior that involves alterations改变 in the activity 活动of numerous genes. There is evidence that specific genes must be transcribed转录 during the attachment phase of biofilm development. In many cases, the activation of these genes is required for synthesis of the extracellular matrix that protects the pathogens inside.
细菌从浮游状态进入生物膜社区后，它的基因会改变。细菌连接生物膜时，特殊基因被转录。基因转录活动需要细胞外基质保护。