Publications
Detailed Information
Changes in biochemical and phenotypic properties of Streptococcus mutans growing with aeration.
Cited 43 time in
Web of Science
Cited 42 time in Scopus
- Authors
- Issue Date
- 2009
- Publisher
- American Society for Microbiology
- Citation
- Applied and environmental microbiology 75(8):2517-2527
- Keywords
- Oxygen ; Virulence ; Biofilm ; Gene regulation ; Dental caries
- Abstract
- Oxygen has a potent influence on the expression of genes and the activity of physiological and biochemical pathways in bacteria. We have found that oxygen significantly altered virulence-related phenotypic properties of Streptococcus mutans, the primary etiological agent of human dental caries. Transport of glucose, fructose, or mannose by the sugar:phosphotransferase system was significantly enhanced by growth under aerobic conditions, whereas aeration caused an extended lag phase and slower growth of S. mutans in medium containing glucose, fructose, or mannose as the carbohydrate source. Aeration resulted in a decrease in the glycolytic rate and enhanced the production of intracellular storage polysaccharides. Although aeration decreased the acid tolerance of S. mutans, aerobically grown cells had higher F-ATPase activity. Aeration altered biofilm architecture but did not change the ability of S. mutans to interact with salivary agglutinin. Growth in air resulted in enhanced cell-associated glucosyltransferase (Gtf) activity at the expense of cell-free Gtf activity. These results demonstrate that S. mutans can dramatically alter its pathogenic potential in response to exposure to oxygen, suggesting that the phenotype of the organism may be highly variable in the human oral cavity depending on the maturity of the dental plaque biofilm.
- ISSN
- 0099-2240
- Language
- English
- Files in This Item:
- There are no files associated with this item.
Item View & Download Count
Items in S-Space are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.