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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Symbioses
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1507928
This article is part of the Research Topic Mutualistic and Antagonistic Interactions in the Human Oral Microbiome View all articles

smu_1558c-mediated regulation of growth and biofilm formation in Streptococcus mutans

Provisionally accepted
Yuqing Li Yuqing Li 1*Jing Zhou Jing Zhou 1,2*Qizhao Ma Qizhao Ma 1,2Jingou Liang Jingou Liang 1,2Yangyang Pan Yangyang Pan 1,2*Yang Chen Yang Chen 1,2Shuxing Yu Shuxing Yu 1,2Yaqi Liu Yaqi Liu 1,2Qiong Zhang Qiong Zhang 1Jing Zou Jing Zou 1,2*
  • 1 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 2 Department of Pediatric Dentistry, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Streptococcus mutans is a key etiological agent in dental caries, owing to its strong ability to form biofilms through carbohydrate fermentation. Protein acetylation, facilitated by GNAT family acetyltransferases, plays a critical regulatory role in bacterial physiology, but its impact on S. mutans remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the role of the GNAT family acetyltransferase encoded by smu_1558c in regulating the growth and biofilm formation of S. mutans. The deletion of smu_1558c resulted in impaired growth, reduced biofilm formation, and diminished synthesis of water-insoluble extracellular polysaccharides (EPS). Proteomic analysis revealed 166 differentially expressed proteins in the deletion mutant, with significant enrichment in pathways related to carbohydrate transport and metabolism, and translation. Notably, glucosyltransferases GtfB and GtfC, key enzymes in biofilm formation, were significantly downregulated in the deletion mutant, while ClpL, a Clplike ATP-dependent protease involved in protein homeostasis under stress conditions, was highly upregulated. These findings highlight that acetyltransferase smu_1558c plays a crucial role in the growth, biofilm formation, and EPS synthesis of S. mutans through its regulation of carbohydrate transport and metabolism pathways, as well as stress response mechanisms. This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms governing S. mutans pathogenicity and suggest potential therapeutic targets for caries prevention.

    Keywords: Dental Caries, Streptococcus mutans, acetyltransferase, Biofilms, Water-insoluble extracellular polysaccharides, ClpL Dental caries, ClpL

    Received: 08 Oct 2024; Accepted: 30 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Zhou, Ma, Liang, Pan, Chen, Yu, Liu, Zhang and Zou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yuqing Li, State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
    Jing Zhou, State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
    Yangyang Pan, State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
    Jing Zou, State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

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