The LuxS-dependent quorum-sensing system regulates early biofilm formation by Streptococcus pneumoniae strain D39.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of death in children worldwide and forms highly organized biofilms in the nasopharynx, lungs, and middle ear mucosa. The luxS-controlled quorum-sensing (QS) system has recently been implicated in virulence and persistence in the nasopharynx, but its role in biofilms has not been studied. Here we show that this QS system plays a major role in the control of S. pneumoniae biofilm formation. Our results demonstrate that the luxS gene is contained by invasive isolates and normal-flora strains in a region that contains genes involved in division and cell wall biosynthesis. The luxS gene was maximally transcribed, as a monocistronic message, in the early mid-log phase of growth, and this coincides with the appearance of early biofilms. Demonstrating

SUBMITTER: Vidal JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3187250 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature