Global transcriptional analysis of acid-inducible genes in Streptococcus mutans: multiple two-component systems involved in acid adaptation
- PMID: 19608608
- DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.031591-0
Global transcriptional analysis of acid-inducible genes in Streptococcus mutans: multiple two-component systems involved in acid adaptation
Abstract
Streptococcus mutans in dental biofilms is regularly exposed to cycles of acidic pH during the ingestion of fermentable dietary carbohydrates. The ability of S. mutans to tolerate low pH is crucial for its virulence and pathogenesis in dental caries. To better understand its acid tolerance mechanisms, we performed genome-wide transcriptional analysis of S. mutans in response to an acidic pH signal. The preliminary results showed that adaptation of S. mutans to pH 5.5 induced differential expression of nearly 14 % of the genes in the genome, including 169 upregulated genes and 108 downregulated genes, largely categorized into nine functional groups. One of the most interesting findings was that the genes encoding multiple two-component systems (TCSs), including CiaHR, LevSR, LiaSR, ScnKR, Hk/Rr1037/1038 and ComDE, were upregulated during acid adaptation. Real-time qRT-PCR confirmed the same trend in the expression profiles of these genes at pH 5.5. To determine the roles of these transduction systems in acid adaptation, mutants with a deletion of the histidine-kinase-encoding genes were constructed and assayed for the acid tolerance response (ATR). The results revealed that inactivation of each of these systems resulted in a mutant that was impaired in ATR, since pre-exposure of these mutants to pH 5.5 did not induce the same level of protection against lethal pH levels as the parent did. A competitive fitness assay showed that all the mutants were unable to compete with the parent strain for persistence in dual-strain mixed cultures at acidic pH, although, with the exception of the mutant in liaS, little effect was observed at neutral pH. The evidence from this study suggests that the multiple TCSs are required for S. mutans to orchestrate its signal transduction networks for optimal adaptation to acidic pH.
Similar articles
-
Role of GlnR in acid-mediated repression of genes encoding proteins involved in glutamine and glutamate metabolism in Streptococcus mutans.Appl Environ Microbiol. 2010 Apr;76(8):2478-86. doi: 10.1128/AEM.02622-09. Epub 2010 Feb 19. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2010. PMID: 20173059 Free PMC article.
-
uvrA is an acid-inducible gene involved in the adaptive response to low pH in Streptococcus mutans.J Bacteriol. 2001 Oct;183(20):5964-73. doi: 10.1128/JB.183.20.5964-5973.2001. J Bacteriol. 2001. PMID: 11566996 Free PMC article.
-
Cell density modulates acid adaptation in Streptococcus mutans: implications for survival in biofilms.J Bacteriol. 2001 Dec;183(23):6875-84. doi: 10.1128/JB.183.23.6875-6884.2001. J Bacteriol. 2001. PMID: 11698377 Free PMC article.
-
ComDE Two-component Signal Transduction Systems in Oral Streptococci: Structure and Function.Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2019;32:201-258. doi: 10.21775/cimb.032.201. Epub 2019 Jun 5. Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2019. PMID: 31166173 Review.
-
A model of efficiency: stress tolerance by Streptococcus mutans.Microbiology (Reading). 2008 Nov;154(Pt 11):3247-3255. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.2008/023770-0. Microbiology (Reading). 2008. PMID: 18957579 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
How probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics prevent dental caries: an oral microbiota perspective.NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2024 Feb 24;10(1):14. doi: 10.1038/s41522-024-00488-7. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2024. PMID: 38402294 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Dose-Dependent Inhibitory Effect of Probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum on Streptococcus mutans-Candida albicans Cross-Kingdom Microorganisms.Pathogens. 2023 Jun 20;12(6):848. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12060848. Pathogens. 2023. PMID: 37375538 Free PMC article.
-
Genome-Wide Identification of Novel sRNAs in Streptococcus mutans.J Bacteriol. 2022 Apr 19;204(4):e0057721. doi: 10.1128/jb.00577-21. Epub 2022 Mar 14. J Bacteriol. 2022. PMID: 35285723 Free PMC article.
-
Mechanistic insights into the inhibitory effect of theaflavins on virulence factors production in Streptococcus mutans.AMB Express. 2021 Jul 9;11(1):102. doi: 10.1186/s13568-021-01263-z. AMB Express. 2021. PMID: 34244882 Free PMC article.
-
Beyond Homeostasis: Potassium and Pathogenesis during Bacterial Infections.Infect Immun. 2021 Jun 16;89(7):e0076620. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00766-20. Epub 2021 Jun 16. Infect Immun. 2021. PMID: 33875474 Free PMC article. Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous