The MutRS quorum-sensing system controls lantibiotic mutacin production in the human pathogen <i>Streptococcus mutans</i>.

ABSTRACT: Microbes use quorum-sensing systems to respond to ecological and environmental changes. In the oral microbiome, the pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans uses quorum-sensing to control the production of bacteriocins. These antimicrobial peptides kill off ecological competitors and allow S. mutans to dominate the microenvironment of dental plaques and form dental caries. One class of bacteriocins produced by S. mutans, the lantibiotic mutacins, are particularly effective at killing due to their broad spectrum of activity. Despite years of study, the regulatory mechanisms governing production of lantibiotic mutacins I, II, and III in S. mutans have never been elucidated. We identified a distinct class of quorum-sensing system, MutRS, that regulates mutacins an

SUBMITTER: Wyllie RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11848300 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature