ArticleMolecular microbiology2012
Microfluidic study of competence regulation in Streptococcus mutans: environmental inputs modulate bimodal and unimodal expression of comX.
Article in Molecular microbiology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 88 papers.
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Who cites it
88 citing papers in PubMed.
- Quorum sensing in streptococci and its peptide-mediated modulation.Bioscience reports · 2026Review
- Mechanistic Insights into the Anti-Virulence Effects ofAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- AJournal of bacteriology · 2026Review
- Cell density and single-cell heterogeneity reveal distinct competence induction dynamics in the high-GC Gram-positive Micrococcus luteus.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- From biogenesis to host modulation: the expanding biology of oral streptococcal membrane vesicles.FEMS microbiology reviews · 2026Review
- Rgg/SHP transcriptional regulators, RaS-RiPPs, and their impacts in streptococci.F1000Research · 2026Review
- Design, development, and validation of new fluorescent strains for studying oral streptococci.Microbiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Impact of the RaS-RiPP tryglysin and culturing conditions on ex-vivo oral microbiomes.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2025Article
- Membrane vesicle production via cell-to-cell communication-induced autolysis inMicrobiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Naturally competent bacteria and their genetic parasites-a battle for control over horizontal gene transfer?FEMS microbiology reviews · 2025Review
- Environmental Control of Queuosine Levels in Streptococcus mutans tRNAs.Molecular microbiology · 2025Article
- A brief review of membrane vesicles fromFrontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- Genetic modification ofmSphere · 2024Article
- Peptide maturation molecules act as molecular gatekeepers to coordinate cell-cell communication in Streptococcus pneumoniae.Cell reports · 2024Article
- Noncanonical Streptococcus sanguinis ComCDE circuitry integrates environmental cues in transformation outcome decision.Cell chemical biology · 2024Article
- Advances in pharmacological effects and mechanism of action of cinnamaldehyde.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Review
- Streptococcal peptides and their roles in host-microbe interactions.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2023Review
- Identification of a Novel Gene Involved in Cell-to-cell Communication-induced Cell Death and eDNA Production in Streptococcus mutans.Microbes and environments · 2023Article
- TnSmu1 is a functional integrative and conjugative element in Streptococcus mutans that when expressed causes growth arrest of host bacteria.Molecular microbiology · 2022Article
- Ozonated oil is effective at killing Candida species and Streptococcus mutans biofilm-derived cells under aerobic and microaerobic conditions.Medical mycology · 2022Article
28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Streptococcus mutans regulates genetic competence through a complex network that receives inputs from a number of environmental stimuli, including two signalling peptides designated as CSP and XIP. The response of the downstream competence genes to these inputs shows evidence of stochasticity and bistability and has been difficult to interpret. We have used microfluidic, single-cell methods to study how combinations of extracellular signals shape the response of comX, an alternative sigma factor governing expression of the late competence genes. We find that the composition of the medium determines which extracellular signal (XIP or CSP) can elicit a response from comX and whether that response is unimodal or bimodal across a population of cells. In a chemically defined medium, exogenous CSP does not induce comX, whereas exogenous XIP elicits a comX response from all cells. In complex medium, exogenous XIP does not induce comX, whereas CSP elicits a bimodal comX response from the population. Interestingly, bimodal behaviour required an intact copy of comS, which encodes the precursor of XIP. The comS-dependent capability for both unimodal and bimodal response suggests that a constituent - most likely peptides - of complex medium interacts with a positive feedback loop in the competence regulatory network.
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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.