Project description:Our group recently transcriptomically characterized coculture growth between Streptococcus mutans and several species of commensal streptococci (Rose et al, 2023; Choi et al 2024). One interaction that stood out was with Streptococcus mitis ATCC 49456, which completely inhibited the growth of S. mutans during biofilm formation. This is due to abudant hydrogen peroxide production by S. mitis ATCC 49456, 3-5x higher than other oral commensal streptococci we have worked with. To understand how the transcriptome of S. mutans is modified in coculture with a high hydrogen peroxide producer, we evaluated the transcriptome during monoculture or coculture growth between the two strains. Our results show differential gene expression (DEGs) in S. mutans that follows other trends we have documented previously with other commensal Streptococcus species, as well as DEGs specific to the interaction with S. mitis.
Project description:Chlorhexidine (CHX) is a widely used antiseptic agent in dental care due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties. This study focuses on the transcriptomic changes associated with chlorhexidine adaptation in oral Streptococcus salivarius (73_wt, 73_a), Streptococcus vestibularis (78_wt, 78_e), and Streptococcus mitis (93_wt, 93_d) using RNA sequencing.
Project description:The human oral cavity harbors a diverse microbial community, with oral streptococci, particularly the Streptococcus mitis group, playing a pivotal role in biofilm formation and oral health. Among these, Streptococcus oralis is a key early colonizer that stabilizes oral biofilms. Here, we identify two mucin-degrading proteases, MdpS and MdpS2, that enable S. oralis to degrade MUC5B, the sole gel-forming mucin in saliva. Despite low sequence similarity, these enzymes share a high degree of tertiary structural resemblance and exhibits complementary biological functions. Their activity leads to extensive MUC5B degradation influencing biofilm dynamics by promoting biofilm dispersal and altering MUC5B and/or MUC5AC BCi mucus gels properties, with MdpS2 displaying specificity for MUC5B gels. Our findings reveal a specialized role in biofilm structural remodeling, offering potential avenues for clinical applications in biofilm modulation and mucus degradation.
Project description:Immune responses to group A streptococcus in humans can lead to the development of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Immune pathways that are activated by group A streptococcus are potential targets for inhibiting autoimmune responses to group A streptococcus. This experiment tests the impact of the drug hydroxychloroquine on immune responses to group A streptococcus in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Project description:Treatment of pneumococcal infections is limited by antibiotic resistance and exacerbation of disease by bacterial lysis releasing pneumolysin toxin and other inflammatory factors. We identified a novel peptide in the Klebsiella pneumoniae secretome, which enters Streptococcus pneumoniae via its AmiA-AliA/AliB permease. Subsequent downregulation of genes for amino acid biosynthesis and peptide uptake was associated with reduction of pneumococcal growth in defined medium and human cerebrospinal fluid, irregular cell shape, decreased chain length and decreased genetic transformation. The bacteriostatic effect was specific to S. pneumoniae and Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae with no effect on Streptococcus mitis, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus or K. pneumoniae. Peptide sequence and length were crucial to growth suppression. The peptide reduced pneumococcal adherence to primary human airway epithelial cell cultures and colonization of rat nasopharynx, without toxicity. We also analysed the effect of peptide on the proteome of S. pneumoniae. We found alteration of the proteome by the peptide with some proteins turned on or off in line with the transcriptomic changes. We therefore identified a peptide with potential as a therapeutic for pneumococcal diseases suppressing growth of multiple clinical isolates, including antibiotic resistant strains, while avoiding bacterial lysis and dysbiosis.
Project description:Streptococcus suis is an important zoonotic pathogen that can cause meningitis and sepsis in both pigs and humans. In this study,we evaluated the genetic difference of 40 Streptococcus suis strains belonging to various sequence types by comparative genomic hybridization to identify genes associated with the variation in pathogenicity using NimbleGen’s tilling microarray platform. Application of Comparative Phylogenomics to Identify Genetic Differences Relating to Pathogenicity of Streptococcus suis
