Virulence of Streptococcus mutans: Biochemical and Pathogenic Characteristics of Mutant Isolates

Michalek, Suzanne M.; Shiota, Tetsuo; Navia, Tadashi Ikeda Juan M.; McGhee, Jerry R.

doi:10.3181/00379727-150-39064

Cited by 49 publications

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“…S. mutans colonies are typically rough, irregular, and hard on this medium, but variants with smooth, soft, colony morphologies could readily be found and shown to be defective in adherence to smooth surfaces and in forming plaque (DESTOPPELAAR et al 1971;FREEDMAN and TANZER 1974;MICHALEK et al 1975;KURAMITSU 1976;BUL-KACZ and HILL 1977;HAMADA et al 1978). S. mutans colonies are typically rough, irregular, and hard on this medium, but variants with smooth, soft, colony morphologies could readily be found and shown to be defective in adherence to smooth surfaces and in forming plaque (DESTOPPELAAR et al 1971;FREEDMAN and TANZER 1974;MICHALEK et al 1975;KURAMITSU 1976;BUL-KACZ and HILL 1977;HAMADA et al 1978).…”

Section: Mutant Isolation and Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 98%

Genetic Analysis of Streptococcus mutans Virulence

Curtiss

1985

Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology

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Section: Mutant Isolation and Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 98%

Genetic Analysis of Streptococcus mutans Virulence

Curtiss

1985

Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology

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“…Recently it was suggested that the ability of S. mutans strains for synthesis of water-insoluble glucans and for sucrose-dependent in vitro adherence are closely paralleled by the cariogenicity of these strains in rodents (29). However, the results described here and in a previous report (22) indicate that mutants M9 and M35 synthesized waterinsoluble glucan and formed sucrose-dependent deposits in vitro but did not form abundant plaque in vivo and were not cariogenic (Table 2).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 40%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of the mutants reported so far possess either no or decreased ability to form plaque in vitro and in vivo and consequently to produce caries in animals (3-6, 12, 13, 16, 17, 21, 32). Other mutants, having increased ability to produce water-insoluble glucans and to adhere to glass, have also been isolated (14,21,22,29,32), but most of these mutants have not been examined for their cariogenicity (29).We have isolated several types of mutants from S. mutans AHT (serotype g), including mutants with either enhanced or decreased in vitro adherence ability, and characterized their biochemical properties (21, 22). However, our preliminary studies have shown that none of these mutants, including a mutant with an increased level of adherence ability, produced plaque and caries in hamsters under the routine Present address:…”

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confidence: 99%

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Cariogenic Virulence of Streptococcus mutans AHT Mutants with Altered In Vitro Adherence Abilities in Hamsters

Kishimoto¹,

Kinoshita²,

Inoue³

1979

Microbiology and Immunology

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Plaque-forming ability and cariogenic virulence of Streptococcus mutans AHT mutants having varying in vitro adherence abilities were studied in hamsters reared on a high sucrose diet over a period of 64 days. The parent wild-type strain produced heavy plaque and extensive carious lesions on molars.However , mutants M1, M2, and M13, which have lost the ability to form adhesive deposits on glass when grown in sucrose broth, and mutant M9, which adheres firmly to glass but in an extremely small amount, could not be recovered from the mouths of animals even after repeated inoculations at weekly intervals throughout the experimental period.Mutant M35, which produces a large amount of loosely adhering deposits in vitro, became established and persisted on molars, but its recovery was extremely low. None of the mutants, including M35, significantly produced plaque and caries in hamsters.Possible causes of this inability to form plaque and the avirulence of mutants are discussed .Establishment and persistence of cariogenic microorganisms on tooth surfaces are required for subsequent onset of tooth decay. Tenacious water-insoluble glucans produced from sucrose are considered to be responsible for the firm attachment of Streptococcus mutans cells to smooth surfaces (23,25,30,31,33, 39). Mutants that differ from their wild-type parent in several important properties have been widely used to elucidate the virulence factor(s) of S. mutans (1, 3-6, 12-14, 16, 17, 21, 22, 24, 28, 29, 32, 36). Most of the mutants reported so far possess either no or decreased ability to form plaque in vitro and in vivo and consequently to produce caries in animals (3-6, 12, 13, 16, 17, 21, 32). Other mutants, having increased ability to produce water-insoluble glucans and to adhere to glass, have also been isolated (14,21,22,29,32), but most of these mutants have not been examined for their cariogenicity (29).We have isolated several types of mutants from S. mutans AHT (serotype g), including mutants with either enhanced or decreased in vitro adherence ability, and characterized their biochemical properties (21, 22). However, our preliminary studies have shown that none of these mutants, including a mutant with an increased level of adherence ability, produced plaque and caries in hamsters under the routine Present address:

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“…Because of this paucity of means for genetic analysis, we decided some years ago to commence a genetic dissection of S. mutans in E. coli using recombinant DNA technology (Curtiss et al, 1982a(Curtiss et al, , 1982b (Murchison et al, 1981(Murchison et al, , 1982 The gnotobiotic rat model for cariogenicity, developed so well by my UAB colleagues (Michalek et al, 1975) A diversity of in vitro assays for virulence attributes is also used. These include measuring sucrose-independent adherence of radiolabeled S. mutans cells to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite (Clark and Gibbons, 1977;Clark et al, 1978).…”

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confidence: 99%

Genetic Analysis of Streptococcus mutans Virulence and Prospects for an Anticaries Vaccine

Curtiss

1986

J Dent Res

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J Dent Res 65(8): 1034 -1045, August, 1986 Streptococcus mutans, the principal microbial etiologic agent of dental caries (Newbrun, 1978), is a fascinating pathogen. It is by far the most ubiquitous human pathogen, infecting many during the first year of life soon after tooth eruption and ultimately associating with some 95% of the population (Stiles et al., 1976). The microbe known as S. mutans is in reality a group of four separate species differing in serotype and in guanine plus cytosine content of DNA, but all having the ability to cause dental caries .Numerous studies have led to a postulated series of events contributing to caries formation-(see Hamada and Slade, 1980; Based on work in many laboratories, it is evident that glucosyl-transferases, which synthesize both water-soluble and water-insoluble glucans, and glucan-binding proteins are essential for adherence and aggregation in the sucrose-dependent phase of S. mutans colonization (see Hamada and Slade, 1980). More recent work, which I will discuss, indicates that other cell-surface proteins lacking apparent enzymatic activity contribute to these processes as well as to the sucrose-independent phase of the colonization sequence. The contribution of other cell-surface polymers to virulence has been poorly studied.A genetic analysis of S. mutans virulence attributes is inhibited by the lack of classical means of genetic analysis. There are no known phages and therefore no transduction in S. mutans. Although some 5 to 10% of serotype c and e strains possess a small non-conjugative cryptic plasmid, there is no operative conjugational system. Fortunately, transformation, as discovered and described by Perry and Kuramitsu (1981), is readily achieved with both chromosomal and plasmid DNA in some serotype c and e strains (Murchison et al., 1986).Because of this paucity of means for genetic analysis, we decided some years ago to commence a genetic dissection of S. mutans in E. coli using recombinant DNA technology (Curtiss et al., 1982a(Curtiss et al., , 1982b

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Virulence of Streptococcus mutans: Biochemical and Pathogenic Characteristics of Mutant Isolates

Cited by 49 publications

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Genetic Analysis of Streptococcus mutans Virulence

Genetic Analysis of Streptococcus mutans Virulence

Cariogenic Virulence of Streptococcus mutans AHT Mutants with Altered In Vitro Adherence Abilities in Hamsters

Genetic Analysis of Streptococcus mutans Virulence and Prospects for an Anticaries Vaccine

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