ZccE is a Novel P-type ATPase That Protects Streptococcus mutans Against Zinc Intoxication.

ABSTRACT: Zinc is a trace metal that is essential to all forms of life, but that becomes toxic at high concentrations. Because it has both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties and low toxicity to mammalian cells, zinc has been used as a therapeutic agent for centuries to treat a variety of infectious and non-infectious conditions. While the usefulness of zinc-based therapies in caries prevention is controversial, zinc is incorporated into toothpaste and mouthwash formulations to prevent gingivitis and halitosis. Despite this widespread use of zinc in oral healthcare, the mechanisms that allow Streptococcus mutans, a keystone pathogen in dental caries and prevalent etiological agent of infective endocarditis, to overcome zinc toxicity are largely unknown. Here, we discovered that S. mutans

SUBMITTER: Ganguly T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9387928 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature