ArticleJournal of bacteriology2002
A quorum-sensing signaling system essential for genetic competence in Streptococcus mutans is involved in biofilm formation.
Article in Journal of bacteriology, 2002. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 209 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
209 citing papers in PubMed, 474 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Quorum sensing in streptococci and its peptide-mediated modulation.Bioscience reports · 2026Review
- Species-specific chlorine resistance and biofilm regulation by extracellular polymeric substances and quorum sensing in drinking water pipeline bacteria.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2026Article
- Food-grade Lacticaseibacillus paracasei postbiotics suppress oral Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation and cariogenicity.NPJ science of food · 2026Article
- Photodynamic therapy for caries management: mechanisms, applications, and perspectives.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
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- Rgg/SHP transcriptional regulators, RaS-RiPPs, and their impacts in streptococci.F1000Research · 2026Review
- DNA adenine methylation influences gene expression and biofilm formation inApplied and environmental microbiology · 2025Article
- Trajectory and trends in molecular regulation ofFuture microbiology · 2025Article
- Isofloridoside: a novel inhibitor of Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation and glucosyltransferase activity.BMC research notes · 2025Article
- A novel insight into ComE-mediated activation of gene expression inMicrobiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Bacterial evolution in the oral microbiome: the role of conjugative elements and horizontal gene transfer.Journal of bacteriology · 2025Review
- Unveiling the impact of allulose on oral microbiota and biofilm formation via a cariogenic potential assessment platform.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- Zoliflodacin inhibitsFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- The Mechanisms and Application Value of Postbiotics in Caries Prevention and Management.Oral health & preventive dentistry · 2024Review
- Mechanisms of the Quorum Sensing Systems ofCurrent medicinal chemistry · 2024Review
- Co-regulation of biofilm formation and antimicrobial resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii: from mechanisms to therapeutic strategies.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2023Review
- Structural basis of peptide secretion for Quorum sensing by ComA.Nature communications · 2023Article
149 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
In a previous study, a quorum-sensing signaling system essential for genetic competence in Streptococcus mutans was identified, characterized, and found to function optimally in biofilms (Li et al., J. Bacteriol. 183:897-908, 2001). Here, we demonstrate that this system also plays a role in the ability of S. mutans to initiate biofilm formation. To test this hypothesis, S. mutans wild-type strain NG8 and its knockout mutants defective in comC, comD, comE, and comX, as well as a comCDE deletion mutant, were assayed for their ability to initiate biofilm formation. The spatial distribution and architecture of the biofilms were examined by scanning electron microscopy and confocal scanning laser microscopy. The results showed that inactivation of any of the individual genes under study resulted in the formation of an abnormal biofilm. The comC mutant, unable to produce or secrete a competence-stimulating peptide (CSP), formed biofilms with altered architecture, whereas the comD and comE mutants, which were defective in sensing and responding to the CSP, formed biofilms with reduced biomass. Exogenous addition of the CSP and complementation with a plasmid containing the wild-type comC gene into the cultures restored the wild-type biofilm architecture of comC mutants but showed no effect on the comD, comE, or comX mutant biofilms. The fact that biofilms formed by comC mutants differed from the comD, comE, and comX mutant biofilms suggested that multiple signal transduction pathways were affected by CSP. Addition of synthetic CSP into the culture medium or introduction of the wild-type comC gene on a shuttle vector into the comCDE deletion mutant partially restored the wild-type biofilm architecture and further supported this idea. We conclude that the quorum-sensing signaling system essential for genetic competence in S. mutans is important for the formation of biofilms by this gram-positive organism.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.