A Quorum-Sensing System That Regulates <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> Biofilm Formation and Surface Polysaccharide Production.

ABSTRACT: Despite vaccines, Streptococcus pneumoniae kills more than a million people yearly. Thus, understanding how pneumococci transition from commensals to pathogens is particularly relevant. Quorum sensing regulates collective behaviors and thus represents a potential driver of commensal-to-pathogen transitions. Rgg/small hydrophobic peptide (SHP) quorum-sensing systems are widespread in streptococci, yet they remain largely uncharacterized in S. pneumoniae. Using directional transcriptome sequencing, we show that the S. pneumoniae D39 Rgg0939/SHP system induces the transcription of a single gene cluster including shp and capsule gene homologs. Capsule size measurements determined by fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran exclusion allowed assignment of the system to the

SUBMITTER: Junges R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5597970 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep-Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature