A novel pheromone quorum-sensing system controls the development of natural competence in Streptococcus thermophilus and Streptococcus salivarius.

ABSTRACT: In streptococcal species, the key step of competence development is the transcriptional induction of comX, which encodes the alternative sigma factor sigma(X), which positively regulates genes necessary for DNA transformation. In Streptococcus species belonging to the mitis and mutans groups, induction of comX relies on the activation of a three-component system consisting of a secreted pheromone, a histidine kinase, and a response regulator. In Streptococcus thermophilus, a species belonging to the salivarius group, the oligopeptide transporter Ami is essential for comX expression under competence-inducing conditions. This suggests a different regulation pathway of competence based on the production and reimportation of a signal peptide. The objective of our work was to identify the main

SUBMITTER: Fontaine L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2820839 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature