ArticlePloS one2013
CovR and VicRK regulate cell surface biogenesis genes required for biofilm formation in Streptococcus mutans.
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers.
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Who cites it
55 citing papers in PubMed, 103 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dissecting the essential role ofVirulence · 2026Article
- Molecular Regulation of Virulence and Dental Biofilm Formation in Streptococcus mutans: Unravelling the Crosstalk Between the VicRK and LiaSR Two-Component Systems.Molecular oral microbiology · 2026Review
- Patchouli Alcohol as a Potential Anti-Cariogenic Compound TargetingMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Synergistic action of specialized metabolites from divergent biosynthesis in the human oral microbiome.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Anti-cariogenic activity of mutanocyclin, a secondary metabolite ofMicrobiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Natural compounds: new therapeutic approach for inhibition ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Inhibition ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Characterization of MreCD inJournal of oral microbiology · 2025Article
- Anticariogenic activity of marine brown algaeFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Article
- Transcriptome Analysis ofGenes · 2023Article
- Small regulatory RNAs are mediators of theJournal of bacteriology · 2023Article
- The Regulations of Essential WalRK Two-Component System onJournal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Regulatory mechanisms of exopolysaccharide synthesis and biofilm formation in Streptococcus mutans.Journal of oral microbiology · 2023Review
- In vitro activities of thiazolidione derivatives combined with daptomycin against clinical Enterococcus faecium strains.BMC microbiology · 2022Article
- Strategies for dispersion of cariogenic biofilms: applications and mechanisms.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Review
- The W-Acidic Motif of Histidine Kinase WalK Is Required for Signaling and Transcriptional Regulation inFrontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- The vicK gene of Streptococcus mutans mediates its cariogenicity via exopolysaccharides metabolism.International journal of oral science · 2021Article
- Antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities of histidine kinase YycG inhibitors against Streptococcus agalactiae.The Journal of antibiotics · 2021Article
- Multiple factors are involved in regulation of extracellular membrane vesicle biogenesis in Streptococcus mutans.Molecular oral microbiology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The two-component system VicRK and the orphan regulator CovR of Streptococcus mutans co-regulate a group of virulence genes associated with the synthesis of and interaction with extracellular polysaccharides of the biofilm matrix. Knockout mutants of vicK and covR display abnormal cell division and morphology phenotypes, although the gene function defects involved are as yet unknown. Using transcriptomic comparisons between parent strain UA159 with vicK (UAvic) or covR (UAcov) deletion mutants together with electrophoretic motility shift assays (EMSA), we identified genes directly regulated by both VicR and CovR with putative functions in cell wall/surface biogenesis, including gbpB, wapE, smaA, SMU.2146c, and lysM. Deletion mutants of genes regulated by VicR and CovR (wapE, lysM, smaA), or regulated only by VicR (SMU.2146c) or CovR (epsC) promoted significant alterations in biofilm initiation, including increased fragility, defects in microcolony formation, and atypical cell morphology and/or chaining. Significant reductions in mureinolytic activity and/or increases in DNA release during growth were observed in knockout mutants of smaA, wapE, lysM, SMU.2146c and epsC, implying roles in cell wall biogenesis. WapE and lysM mutations also affected cell hydrophobicity and sensitivity to osmotic or oxidative stress. Finally, vicR, covR and VicRK/CovR-targets (gbpB, wapE, smaA, SMU.2146c, lysM, epsC) are up-regulated in UA159 during biofilm initiation, in a sucrose-dependent manner. These data support a model in which VicRK and CovR coordinate cell division and surface biogenesis with the extracellular synthesis of polysaccharides, a process apparently required for formation of structurally stable biofilms in the presence of sucrose.
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