"

From 2012.igem.org

"CsgD, a regulator of curli and cellulose synthesis, also regulates serine hydroxymethyltransferase synthesis in Escherichia coli K-12."
(Chirwa NT, Herrington MB.Microbiology. 2003;149(Pt 2):525-535.)
The findings of the paper suggest that the expression of curlis allows E. Coli to bind to plastic surfaces.
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12624214" title="Reference Link" target="_blank">Paper on NCBI</a>