Figure 5.

Compositions and functions of biofilm matrix in structured microbial communities. A) confocal fluorescence images of developed cross‐kingdom dental biofilms within ECM (red); inset shows Streptococcus mutans (green)‐Candida albicans (cyan) interactions mediated by ECM (white arrows). B) 3D reconstruction of CLSM images of in vitro oral biofilms after matrix staining. C) A schematic representation of the main components of the biofilm matrix and their functions. The biofilm matrix consisting of a wide array of functional biomolecules serves as a scaffold for structural support and a dynamic milieu that provides varying chemical and physical signals to microbial communities, promoting a biofilm lifestyle. Reproduced with permission.^{[ 145 ]} Copyright 2020, Elsevier.